For Always
by xocharleegir1912lxo
Summary: After being tortured in Malfoy Manor, Hermione is saved by Draco because he is Veela and she is his mate. She has to make a choice, stay or go. If she stays, wouldn't she be in danger, and what about the mission Dumbeldore sent them on? Wouldn't it be going against everything she had been fighting for, for the last 7 years? Its too much, and decisions always have consequences.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The night was eerily quiet as a scream rippled through Draco Malfoy's body putting him through agonizing pain. It had been months since he had found out he was part Veela and he had yet to find his mate; his birthday drawing dangerously near meaning his life line was going to come to an end.

Every night for the past month he had these dreams of a girl, his girl. They started out happy at first, showing him all the reasons why he loved her, all the things she was passionate about. She never spoke in his dreams, nor was her face ever seen; but none of that mattered to him. He was already in love with her, and these little glimpses of her were his only clue to who she was and the only connection he had. So months ago he use to look forward to sleep because he knew she would be there, but the past month or so the only thing he could see was the fact that they would be disgustingly happy and out of nowhere she would get taken from him; and then he would search for her. Sometimes he never found her again, other times he saw her bloodied corpse and he felt himself die with her. It was excruciating and terrifying. Not for his life, but because he already knew he was in love with her and the thought of being without her was indeed enough to kill him.

This only made his longing for her intensify; he would spend many nights begging into the air for the pain to stop, to just be reunited with his love; whoever she may be. But with this war going on he was no closer to finding her then the war was coming to an end. His family knew the vital importance of Draco finding his mate, and the stress was evident on his father. Lucius no longer held the poise he once had, his hair no longer fell perfectly in a pale curtain, his face was no longer smooth and clean; and his eyes were sunken in so far it was as if sleep was a stranger to him. What else was to be expected though? His only son was a mere couple months away from his death, leaving no heir to the Malfoy name.

Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother, on the other hand remained calm and hopeful. She had no intentions of losing her son and she felt that if she portrayed the calm and composed attitude, her husband and son would begin feeling the same way eventually, and it would sooth them. She would never openly admit how worn down she felt from seeing her son so disheveled and weak. Most nights, like tonight, he was screaming in pain from the separation of his mate. He was losing weight, his cheek bones forming into a high point that was painfully sharp, and his complexion was so pale it wouldn't be long until he was translucent. Yet there was nothing anyone could do to help, it was impossible for Draco to get away long enough to even find his mate.

So the only thing Narcissa could do was comfort him, and that's what she did. She slowly entered Draco's bedroom, wincing slightly at his whimpering. "Draco."

Clearing his throat he sat up. "What is it mother?" It came out more curt and cold then he had wanted it to be, but he was in no mood for being civil and he didn't want her to see him so weak; he was going to be head of the household after all.

"I have a plan, it will help you escape and we will proceed at dawn." She stated simply.

"Mother I have to stay, I have to fight." Draco muttered. "I am a death eater and leaving out of the blue is not that simple."

"I agree it is not that simple and I agree that you have to fight, but for your own life. " She sauntered elegantly to Draco's bed sitting down placing a hand upon his knee. "It is okay to be selfish once in a while."

Draco remembered his whole childhood at that moment. He was always so selfish, so demanding, and for his mother to state he could be selfish made him angry. "When haven't I been self-"

"Not you," Narcissa held up a hand. "Me. It is okay to be selfish once in a while, so I kept you here for me. For my own pleasure and for my own life and your fathers. Now it is time I let you go. You are going to take your broom and leave. They would expect you to do that, so that's why they would think you would choose the floo network to trick them. They will never see it coming that you chose the obvious escape route. It will be the perfect plan. In the morning there is a meeting for the elder death eaters, they feel they cannot trust the teenagers yet that's why you did not receive an invitation. They wouldn't dream of you leaving, because you are a Malfoy. They will be taken by utter surprise when they find out, and by the time they find out it shall be too late."

Draco thought this through. He needed his mate, he needed to be free of the Dark Lord and find peace and love. He was not scared of dying, he was afraid that he would die without knowing her and with all this pain. He felt it every waking moment, never being free of it; and how nice would be to just be free from the path that was chosen for him, except…

"Mother if I do this you and father will die, they will kill you."

"If you don't find your mate your own heartache will kill you." She replied bluntly, not to seem cold but to get the point across. She sighed, "You want to stay here for me, for us, so please leave for us instead. You will be giving us more peace of mind then you can imagine."

"Alright," Draco muttered. He knew when he had lost the battle and there was no point in changing her mind.

Narcissa leaned over and kissed Draco's forehead. "Sleep. I will be back in a few hours to wake you for your journey; in the meantime you will need plenty of rest."

Draco did as told, laying down he immediately went into a sleep that was haunted with dreams of the mate he could not see, hear, save or touch.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

The snatchers, Greyback and Scabior and a couple of others dragged in the nervous trio. Hermione was thankful that they were unrecognizable to them. Hermione had told them she was Penelope Clearwater and a half-blood, only protecting her for so long. Harry claimed to be Vernon Dudley, a Slytherin and Ron was Barny Weasely; not the brightest to admit you are a Weasely but the first name he chose didn't pass the test.

It was a good thing too that they had posed as other people and that Hermione sent a stinging hex to Harry distorting his face, because Hermione recognized the building they were in as Malfoy Manor. It being only dawn, the sun not daring to make an appearance, it made the manor seem more dangerous sending a chill down her spine. The room they were in seemed to be the 'Grand' foyer, the ceilings at least 15 feet tall, two chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. They were black with dangling crystals and the lights shaped like blue bell flowers. The floors were made of black hardwood floors leading to the opposite end of the room and it seemed like two stone pillars were sprouting from the floor. On each side of the pillars were sets of stairs leading to who knew what, Hermione assumed a living space. To Hermione's left was a grand fire place, wide and deep. There were matching pillars on the fire place, much shorter though, not reaching the ceilings but only halfway up the wall. After that, the remainder of the wall was made of stone with carvings in them, faded carvings, but it was still easy to see the intricate detail. On each side of the fire place were two black leather chairs, with tall backs.

The whole place had an elegant beauty to it, it was so powerful; and because of the power panic began to set into Hermione. She was never happier that she had hexed Harry, but it was only a matter of time before they were found out. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Ron trying to struggle away from the snatchers fierce grip, it wasn't working; the hold that was on each of them was uncomfortably strong. It seemed the only one that was calm was Harry, because that's just what Harry does; he is calm for others.

Footsteps echoed from the stair case at the end of the foyer, where the pillars were. "Greybeck, you best have a reason to call upon me on this ungodly hour." Snarled the familiar voice of Lucius Malfoy, making Hermione freeze. They were in trouble.

He stopped walking, a vicious smiling spreading over his face, "Ahh Miss Granger." He drawled. He looked different to her despite his tone and evil smile. He seemed defeated; no longer was there cleanliness and poise that came with the Malfoy name. He came closer touching her cheek with a long finger and he walked down the line of the three of them. "And Weasely. That leaves..." He turned to the last teen in the row of the three of them.

"Potter!" A shrill laughter that could only belong to Bellatrix Lestrange, came from the stairs. She was in a frenzy, her dark frizzy curls spreading farther out than ever before. "Call the Dark Lord!" She screamed in delight. She seemed crazier than the last time, completely uncollected and scattered in the need for blood, she had gone completely mental.

Narcissa Malfoy ran up the stairs quickly, if what was said were true and Harry was in their house, he had to stay alive; he was their only hope. He was the only chance the Malfoy's had to be free of Voldemort. "We have to be sure. Scabior who are they?" She was trying to stall until she could think of a way to save them, or at least the boy.

"We were told differently. The girl is Penelope Clearwater, the red head is Barny Weasely and the one with the face is Vernon Dudley. One half-blood, a traitor and a Slytherin. And Vernon here has to be slytherin. He told us the details of the Slytherin common room, only a Slytherin could have been there."

"See Bellatrix, you can't be sure. And if we aren't sure and we summon the Dark Lord and it turns out we are wrong all of us will have to pay."

"Cissy you have a point." Bellatrix drawled. "And I have just the plan; it'll put your name back on top. Your son will identify them and prove himself to the Dark Lord. Go fetch Draco!" She screamed.

Narcissa froze; he was supposed to be leaving all this behind in a matter of minutes not getting further involved. Before she could object however Lucius spoke up. "I shall get him."

Fear was slowly taking over Hermione, there was no chance now. The seconds dragged on but Hermione knew it wasn't long until a startled Draco appeared from the stairs. He was covered in sweat and it looked as though he had been crying, his body shaking as if he were ready to collapse.

He looked at the scene before him. It was obvious to anyone that Potter was the one in Scabior's clutches along with the Weasel, and Hermione had Greybeck's arm wrapped around her shoulder with his fingers curling tightly around her petite throat and his free hand holding a wand at her temple. It was at that moment, seeing her with tears in her eyes, that fear grasped him and he knew, it was Hermione Granger that he was without a doubt in love with and only mere seconds away from her possible death.

''Draco, dear, we need your help." Bellatrix pouted touching his torso. She pointed her wand at the trio, "Can you tell us whom these people are?"

Draco didn't budge, he wouldn't speak because it would hurt her and he couldn't afford it. Bellatrix noticed his hesitation and circled around him, her body pressed tightly against his back, her chin resting on his shoulder. "Draco," She whispered, kissing the crook of his neck. "Get a closer look." She gently urged him towards Harry. "At least tell us who this is."

Draco looked at his face, his eyes swollen practically shut and his lips puffy, it didn't really look like him but it was easy for Draco to tell. "What happened to his face?"

"Witch over there did something." Scabior muttered thoroughly annoyed.

"I can't tell." He said with as straight of a face he could muster while looking into the green orbs of the Chosen one. Looking into those eyes was a dead giveaway. He turned to face Bellatrix, "Sorry to waste your time." He got ready to leave.

"Son," Lucius's voice came through the air, an exasperated whisper. "Look harder. Think of what this could mean for us!"

Draco knew exactly what it would mean. A fresh start if he could say it was Harry Potter, it was like practically delivering him on a silver platter to the Dark Lord. It was a sure way to get back into Voldemort's good graces seeing that he didn't fulfill the command to kill Dumbledore, this would surely keep he and his family safe. It was time to once again go down the path chosen for him and do what was expected. He was getting ready to turn around again when a scream erupted from Bellatrix.

"Where did you get that?" She growled pointing at the Griffindor sword in a snatchers hand.

"It was in the girl's purse."

Bellatrix ran up to Hermione, "What is your name? How did you get into my vault?" She screeched, spit landing on Hermione's face. It made Draco flinch.

The façade was over and a new determination came over Hermione. She would protect her friends at all cost. "Hermione Granger. Mudblood."

"And them?"

Hermione didn't answer. She was refusing. Bellatrix swung her arm back and slapped Hermione across the face, making Draco jerk to go protect her. His uneasiness didn't go unnoticed by his mother. It was clear that it was killing him to watch her.

"Barney Weasley, and Vernon Dudley." She whimpered. "Barney and I were caught by Vernon and he was going to take us somewhere before we were taken."

"Ahh so he is a helper to the Dark Lord? Why didn't you summon him then?" Her voice was shrill and becoming high pitched in certain places from growing agitation. "How did you get into my vault?"

"It's not real." Hermione whispered. "I thought it was real. I was going to bring it back to Harry." She lied smoothly. It was amazing how much she would lie for her friends; she had true integrity that Draco had to admire.

"Liar!" Bellatrix slapped her again. "Put the boys in the cellar. Its time Hermione and I had a little chat, girl to girl!"

It was clear that Hermione was walking on a dangerously fine line with the boys gone. It was only left over snatcher, the Malfoy's and Bellatrix with her now. No one to help. Greybeck threw her to the floor and she landed with a grunt, not having time to comprehend before a swift kick to her stomach knocked the wind out of her; making her momentarily immobile.

"That's for making us look foolish. She's all yours." He chuckled.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Narcissa sat stiffly in the black chair by the fire place; Lucius standing with his hand resting on the back and Draco right by his side, the faithful boy doing that was expected. Watch the torture and enjoy it. There was once a time where Lucius enjoyed watching the torture, and that thought made Draco sick, but now the Malfoys all seemed torn between their loyalty to the Dark Lord and what was too much.

"Now Mudblood, it is not good to lie to those above you. I'll see it as a little mistake and I'll ask you again. Where did you get the sword?" Bellatrix said in a frightening whisper, like she was talking to child to give over information for some candy, and it sent chills straight into Hermione's heart.

But the fire in her warmed her, she was stronger than this and smarter and braver. She had to protect the people she loved if this war was ever going to come to an end. "I don't know." She spat, standing up facing Bellatrix. "If you are so above me, shouldn't you already know and not waste your time with the likes of me? A 17 year old girl, who's a Mudblood, has outsmarted you. Icing on the cake huh?" Hermione taunted. Her voice was even and monotone, only emphasizing the k in 'cake'. It was far more frightening then anything Draco had heard, especially from someone who seemed so sweet and innocent and, unfortunately submissive. She had guts, he would give her that.

"Crucio!" Bellatrix yelled, shocking them all as Hermione crumpled to the ground.

Draco was wrong; Hermione's screams were the most frightening thing he had ever heard. She felt like her insides were ripping out. The curse made her hemorrhage and heal and hemorrhage again and again; her bones were breaking and twisting in unhealthy positions and her body was flopping around like a fish. It stopped quickly; it was simply a warning of what Bellatrix was capable of, especially in a moment like today, when she felt she was losing control.

"Are you going to talk back again? Or behave?"

Hermione wasn't crying, she wasn't giving up. Instead she laid there with a hard expression. "I don't have to listen to the likes of you."

Another crucio curse went through the air and Hermione once again screamed. Draco wished she would just shut up and cooperate, but he knew better than to expect that. She was on a mission and she was without a doubt the strongest girl he had ever known and she always had been. But her screams and the sounds of her bones breaking were killing him. He kneeled down to the ground, feeling the breath leave him as he felt utterly helpless.

"Mother." He whispered. Lucius's attention was now on his son, who seemed to be showing weakness at a most inappropriate moment.

Understanding filled Narcissa's eyes. "It's her isn't it?"

Draco just nodded as Lucius's mouth dropped open. Their family blood was going to be tainted, but to put a stop to it simply was not an option. "The Mudblood?"

Draco stood and turned so quickly on his father it was a wonder he didn't lose his balance. "Call her that again, just one more time, and I promise I will kill you and I will not regret it." Both parents knew what Draco was capable of if put to the test, especially now that he had found his mate. He would do anything for her and they wouldn't stand a chance. No one would.

"Want to speak again." Bellatrix said, pulling their attention back to the scene. It was more of a statement then a question; she was testing Hermione to see how far she was willing to go.

But Hermione was so winded she couldn't even speak right away, her breathing so labored that Draco feared that she would stop breathing all together, that the strain would just make her lungs give out. "I am not scared." She was in obvious pain, and she was slightly scared, but she was putting on a show and everyone in the room knew what she was doing. She was trying to distract them from finding out where Harry was and what they were up to, little did they know that Harry was in the cellar, right under their noses.

Bellatrix cared very little at this point, she had other means to find out if the sword was real or not. All she wanted now was for Hermione to break and she would play this game all night just to watch her fall, and as strong as Hermione seemed right now Draco doubted she would last much longer.

"No matter, you will be. Someone fetch the Goblin, he will tell us if it's real or not." Someone quickly scurried away and soon came back with the familiar man from Gringotts.

He looked at it quickly and simply said, "It's not real." Hermione could have almost burst into hysterically laughter, he must have been warned, and he was on their side.

"Examine farther if you want to live." Bellatrix hissed. She slowly turned back to Hermione and pulled out a knife. "Now maybe it would help if you were to be reminded of where you stand in society, mudblood."

Bellatrix cruciated Hermione again, causing her to collapse and Bellatrix ripped open her sleeve to begin carving into her arm. It was then that Hermione seemed to give in, the fire in her eyes drifting away as Bellatrix lay on top of her. Hermione screamed in pain and whimpered and squirmed under Bellatrix's weight, and then she started crying. It was no use. Even if she were to get free the curse would still be on her. Hermione could feel each thing being carved into her and Draco had to hold back his vomit as he realized what was being put into her arm.

It was bleeding profusely as each letter was being carved into her delicate flesh, the word Mudblood almost finished. The crucio curse was lifted and all Hermione could feel was the blade digging into her, causing her screams to echo through the manor. She tried pulling away; she didn't want the word to be finished, to scar her pale skin and to always remind her of who she was. A witch with dirty blood, not worthy of magic, not even strong enough to hang onto her wand for protection, or fight off the crazy witch on top of her.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Harry and Ron watched from the steps as Hermione's screams continued. It took everything in their power to maintain control from shooting out spells in a chaotic mess to protect their friend. They had to be smart and calm about the situation, but the longer they heard Hermione's screams they lost it and started spewing spells and hexes at everyone in the room.

Draco's brain started registering faster than his arms could move from panic, if those idiots weren't going to be careful about which way they were shooting their spells they could hit Hermione. Everyone stood in a battle stance, the Malfoy's the quickest to react, making sure the spells were being deflected. But it wasn't long until the fighting froze when the pleading voice of Hermione went through the air.

"No please!" She begged.

Everyone's attention turned to the bushy haired girl in Bellatrix's grasp. Some looked fearful, some snickered and some were indifferent. But Bellatrix's look was one of evil indifference. "No one move or I will slit her throat. Oh look its Harry Potter all shiny and new. Call the Dark Lord."

No one made the first movement and the silence was so strong you could hear every breath, especially the breath of a panicked house elf by the name of Dobby. "That's enough!" He cried from a top the chandelier that was over the top of Bellatrix's head. He snapped his fingers and it began falling through the air heading straight towards the villain and her hostage.

Dobby apparated to the other side of the large room and Bellatrix threw Hermione onto the ground, jumping out of the way. "You could have killed me!" She roared.

"You must not hurt Harry Potter and Friends!" The house elf protested.

"Disarm!"

Draco headed towards Harry in a feeble attempt to disarm him, but secretly handed over his wand. He needed them to know he was on their side despite the path that was chosen for him. He turned to see Hermione trying to get up off the ground to Ron and Harry, to apparate out of here; but Scabior kept dragging her back and she knew it was hopeless. She was too weak to fight back so with sad eyes she mouthed a 'Go' to Dobby. If she couldn't escape at least the important one in this mission could. Dobby hesitated for a moment, but knew she was right and went to quickly leave. But it wasn't kick enough, Bellatrix took the knife she was holding and threw it, the knife flipping over and over again towards the group.

Draco and Hermione watched, hoping and praying that they would get away in time. But hope meant nothing as the knife got sucked into their apparition, making contact with someone once they had landed in their destination on the other side.

"No!" Hermione screamed. A bubbling rage working from her stomach all the way up to her throat. She whipped around to Bellatrix and raced towards her face clawing at it, trying to inflict any amount of pain possible and screaming profanities that no one would have guessed to come out of her mouth. Hermione was going at Bellatrix aggressively, pulling out chunks of hair and causing vicious scratches down her face leaving a bloody trail, then suddenly Hermione had a look of horror go over her face and she crumpled to the floor.

Bellatrix had a hungry look in her eyes as she saw what she had done. She had taken her wand and stabbed it straight into Hermione's stomach causing blood to seep out and down her legs. "Cruicio" She whispered, pronunciating each letter and syllable.

Her screams were breaking from her hoarse throat as she convulsed and bled out. It was normal for the crucio curse to be inflicting pain from the outside of the body, never had anyone thought up doing to someone from the inside of their body.

It caused Draco's rage to boil over completely, racing over to Bellatrix punching her squarely in the face, to unconsciousness. He yanked Bellatrix's wand out of Hermione, even after the curse was lifted she was left convulsing on the floor in shock.

"Granger, look at me."

Hermione was trying her best to look and keep her eyes open, but her body was convulsing so hard; her teeth chattering, and she was beginning to feel dizzy from all the blood and she just couldn't focus. Her blood was everywhere on the floor, rising up her shirt and all over Draco's hands from the wand. He had to resist the urge to gag from feeling the life drain out of her, he had to react, do something.

He looked at his bloody hand that was holding Bellatrix's wand, he felt the pure evil flowing through his body, it was sickening but it would have to do since he had given up his wand to Harry. Bending down next to her, he raised the wand to start healing spells, but he jumped when Hermione started screaming once more.

"Draco don't!" She begged through gritted teeth. "You are better than this! Please."

He was taken by surprise, she thought he was going to hurt her, it was impossible for him to harm her in anyway; the idea that she thought he was capable of doing something so horrible painfully grabbed at his heart. But how was she to know that he loved her, at least needed her in his life.

"Hermione, love" Draco whispered, holding her confused face. "I will never hurt you again."

He knew she didn't trust him, he could see it in her eyes; and he honestly couldn't blame her. But he needed to help her, the only thing he could do was avoid her eyes and ignore the attempts she did at pushing his hand away. He started healing incantations and he could tell it was working because each time she tried to push him away her pushes got stronger and stronger; until she too realized that he had no intentions of hurting her.

When all was finished Draco helped her sit up, cringing as she winced from pain. He had stopped the bleeding and she was, for the most part, healed; but Draco had never been good with healing muscles and deep healing so this was as good as it was going to get for now. He would have to in the future stick with healing potions instead of magic spells.

It was then that Draco could feel the awkward stares of his parents and the snatchers and fellow death eaters. After all he was just caught saving a 'Mudblood'. He turned to face them bravely; he had to convince them that it was more than just a stupid Veela bond. People took them seriously, but for him to find his mate and act how he did; no one would take him seriously and they wouldn't be afraid of hurting her just to hurt him and laugh at his pain.

"Hermione and I have been together secretly for a little over a year now." He said looking at each person one by one, right in the eye. "And as you all know I am Veela, and as you are all guessing, she is my mate." He turned back to Hermione offering her his hand, she played along and took it quickly; she could tell he was her only hope and now her lifeline. Which in all serious aspects she was his. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head, everything feeling so natural despite Hermione's shudder.

"If any of you so much as looks at her funny, I will kill you. She is to become a Malfoy and I expect her to get the respect of one. The Dark Lord will not protest for he knows I am the heir and he will need more heirs to do his bidding. Anyone who has a problem with her must go through me." He was straight to the point and terrifying, you could hear the power. It was at that moment Hermione realized what power a Malfoy had, and Draco was truly a Malfoy.

No one objected to what he was saying, instead they looked at Hermione and nodded their heads in a respectful manner, quickly averting their eyes. "Good. Now if you'll excuse us, she needs to rest." He grabbed her by the hand, bringing it to his lips kissing it gently, and then headed towards the stairs to lead her to his bedroom.

Lucius stepped in front of his son, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "I hope you realize what is at risk if you aren't careful." The hand gave Draco's shoulder a threatening squeeze.

Draco jerked his shoulder away and pulled Hermione behind his back, his icy silver eyes sending daggers into his father's blue ones. "Is that a threat?" He growled, turning away and going down the stairs with Hermione in tow.

Just as Hermione had assumed it was a separate living area. The floor was white marble that spread throughout the open space and contrasting with the gray walls. In the center of the room was a large three tier chandelier that matched the ones upstairs, right underneath was a leather couch that rested on a black rug. A glass table sat a foot in front of the couch tying in the living space. On the opposite side of the couch were two leather chairs that matched the two upstairs, not the most inviting space seeing that it was closed off to just that small section. Behind the couch was a tall long black table that held a large clear bowl that sat in the center filled with water, roses delicately floating on top.

Looking around, the grey walls held many golden picture frames that appeared to have a picture of each generation of Malfoy's and their spouses. Some of the pictures had the children; it just depended on who seemed important enough to be seen in the picture. The trim on the wall was outlined with the same gold that was on the picture frames which happened to match the fireplace the house had.

Going down the stairs from the foyer, you entered this room and the flow of the house seemed to be in the same direction because coming down the steps you looked straight ahead and a hallway was there, lined with doors and black armored knights. There were single tier chandeliers lining down the long hallway and at the very end Hermione could see another set of stairs that were spiraling and giving you the option of going up the stairs or down the stairs.

The last door on the right was Draco's room and he lead Hermione into it closing the door behind him shocked as she quickly ran to the opposite wall where there was a window, the only window she has seen so far in this house; she noted. She sat on the window bench jiggling the brass handle of the French styled window in desperation to get out.

"You can't leave. Believe it or not you are four flights up; if you jump you'll die." Draco whispered running a hand through his hair.

She turned at him quickly, extending both arms shoving him in the chest. "Get me out of here Malfoy."

"I can't Hermione." He sounded defeated and ashamed; it took Hermione by surprise especially since he used her name, but she was so angry it was all she could focus on.

"I hate you! Draco Malfoy get me out of here! Now!" She was breathing heavily but she stopped breathing all together when Draco fell to the floor clutching his chest.

At that moment Draco understood that you could, in fact, die from rejection and the pain he felt was of pure hatred, he thought dying of rejection from your mate was a myth, but the pain was so real and so extreme that he was never going to question another thing about the Veela curse.

"Malfoy?" She whispered, kneeling down next to him. The pain lifted, but he was still catching his breath, relieved that she didn't truly hate him.

"Hermione don't say that again," He said looking into her worry filled eyes, and then he put a hand to her face. "Don't worry, I am okay." He said sitting up.

Hermione looked at him with doubt but there were too many things in her head to have her focus on one thing. "Why did you save me?" she suddenly asked.

"Because you belong to me." Draco blurted before even thinking and watched unsurprised as her face twisted into anger. "I don't mean it like that" He sighed. "What I said is true, I'm Veela and you are my mate."

"Liar." Draco flinched at that word. "There are none of the signs and we hate each other."

"It hasn't hit you yet, its hit me a long time ago. And let's get one thing straight. I never hated you. Jealous, maybe, but I never hated you truly."

Hermione rolled her eyes to stop the tears from welling up. "You called me a Mudblood. You were the first to call me that, ever."

Draco didn't know what to say, it was inexcusable behavior but he wasn't use to being the good guy and fixing her sadness; but everything about her screamed for him to be good so the only thing that came was, "I'm sorry for everything."

Hermione stood back up slowly and began pacing back and forth. "I don't want this; it's not even love it's just something that gets done for survival. It's not that you love me, it's not real love and I don't want it." It was funny that her concern was being loved, not the mess and danger that lied ahead through this.

"Reject me then." Draco snapped. "Get it over with and be free."

Hermione stopped pacing and stared at him, she could reject and leave but if she did that her chances of getting out of here were slim to none. "I'll help you escape so don't worry about that, then you can go back to your precious Potter and Weasel." He spat.

Hermione ignored his last comment in the end and looked at him bewildered. "You'd help me leave?"

"I'd do anything for you."

Silence passed, she was contemplating things and he could see the gears moving in her head of different scenarios.

"Look Hermione, I know I am an arse and I know that I have been cruel to you and I am not going to guarantee that I will be perfect, but I can guarantee that I have already fallen in love with you because of what I have seen of you in my dreams, as strange as that sounds. So what I feel for you is more than what is in my blood, I feel it; and it can only grow. If you want a way out here is your chance."

Hermione stood awkwardly in the room, she didn't know what to do or say so she observed. It was a beautiful room, bed immediately on the right as you walked through the door, king size with a comforter and red satin sheets with matching pillow cases, the frame of the bed was black and carved with detail. There were bed side tables on each side of the bed, black with claw feet at the bottom, with silver candlestick holders on each one. To the right of the bed was a door leading to who knew where, and on the left of the bed was another door. The floor was a dark hard wood that shined beneath her feet and from the light coming in from the window. The window was on the far wall from the door with bookshelves on each side sprouting out of the ground to the tall ceiling, each shelf filled with all types of books, Hermione could see herself reading every single one, especially on the window bench. But the room had a dark eerie feel to it, because it was so open and yet so empty. It needed a couch with a table or something to make it less lonely; and Hermione could see herself making it a project. She stopped that though immediately and instead just took in how beautiful the room was. Beautiful enough that she wanted to cry, because just about anything was going to make her cave in and cry right now.

So Hermione Granger stood in the middle of the cold and lonely room and began crying. She felt so alone and defeated and scared out of her mind. In a matter of hours everything has changed and she had suffered more that she thought possible and she had no control over it. She thought if she was ever to get captured she would get murdered, but instead her arm stung from Bellatrix's cuts, her torso ached from the wand that stabbed her and her whole body ached from the crucio curse that ripped her apart over and over again.

A pair of arms circled around her waist making her sob even harder and turn into the hard chest of her captor for comfort wrapping her arms around him, it scared her that he had become the only person she had for comfort in this situation and it was more terrifying that everything was going to be different now.

Draco rubbed her back trying to sooth her and hushed her. "I'll get you out of here." He kissed her head.

There was hope for her, she could be reunited with Ron and Harry and be with them, with the only family she had left; then put an end to this war. But they had never discussed where they were going next, so she had no idea where to find them. Deep down she knew that the mission was too important anyway for them to turn around and she knew they wouldn't risk it, especially since to them she was as good as dead. It hurt knowing they would give up so quickly on her, and it made her feel so alone now.

"I have nowhere to go," she sniffed. "I don't know where they are."

"Go to your family." He said pulling away, looking into her red eyes.

Her sobs came out harder; she felt like she couldn't stand from the pain and clung to his shirt. "I don't exist." She gasped out.

"What do you mean?"

"I charmed them to forget me." She wept. "I went into this mission, this war, to die. I knew the chances of survival, especially with my blood status so low, I knew I was going to die and I didn't want them to hurt." She was gasping and walking around again. "Forgetting me was the only option, the best option." She said as if she were trying to reassure herself. "And I-I don't know how to fix it."

"I will figure it out Hermione. You need to calm down; you are going to get sick."

"I have no one and nowhere to go Malfoy! I can't calm down." She said running at him wrapping her arms around his stomach and crying into his silk shirt.

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, rubbing her back and gently leading her to the bed. "You need to get some rest." He sat her down and began laying her back but she froze and resisted.

"I'll ruin your sheets and everything!" She went to get up but Draco just chuckled and held a firm hand on her shoulders pushing her back down. _Of course she would worry about it at a time like this_ , he smiled.

"I don't give a damn."

She wanted to resist some more, but the pillows and beds were so comfortable it was hard not to shut her tired eyes after the day she had. Draco sat on the bed for a little while holding her hand until he heard soft snoring fill the room. She was incredibly tired and he couldn't blame her for how tired she was, and she looked so peaceful he didn't want to leave, but there was business to attend to.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Hermione awoke screaming as memories filled her head in a horrifying nightmare. She remembered the pain that shot through her body and the evil look in Bellatrix's eyes. The room was black now, and cold, like a dungeon; and that made her panic. She shot out of bed reaching for the door trying to open it, but it was locked. "Let me out!" She screamed pounding on the door with her small fists. She was trapped, being held prisoner waiting to be tortured.

"Please! I'll do anything you want! Please let me out!" Her voice cracking from strain and choked sobs. She pressed her back against the door looking at the window, she ran to it trying desperately to open them, but it wouldn't budge. She ran her hands through her tangled hair; she was trying to think as her eyes landed on the silver candlestick holder by the bed. She raced across the large room and grabbed it, it had a good weight to it, and it would do. With all her might she swung at the window her arm receiving a piece of glass into it, but it was of no consequence. She wanted out; she was not going to be a prisoner anymore.

She slipped her tiny frame through the little space she had, the shards of glass cutting into her sides, the pain not affecting her like the nausea that did as she looked down to how far away the ground was. She was never one for heights, but at this point anything was going to be better than looking into Bellatrix's cold eyes again.

The door to the bedroom swung open, hitting the wall and making Hermione jump, almost going out the window. "Hermione! No! Come inside."

Hermione whipped her head to the familiar voice, staring at the scared face of Draco Malfoy, his silver blue eyes wide with fear, his blonde hair disheveled and his complexion pale. She felt a sense of calm as she looked into his familiar eyes, and she realized that she was in a bedroom, not a prison. She was losing her mind.

"Draco." She whispered, climbing out of the window, her body shaking harshly. She jumped off the window bench and ran at Draco full speed, launching her body at him; her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and her legs around his torso. Never was she so glad he was there at that moment.

"What happened?" He said, setting her down and holding her face in his large hands.

"I don't know. I had a nightmare I guess and I woke up and its dark so I thought I was trapped and Bellatrix, I didn't want her to get me." She cried. "I tried to get out but the door was locked." She was embarrassed to admit her weakness and how foolish she was being.

"You slept through the day and I locked it so no one could enter. I am sorry Hermione, you are safe." He said, bending down to be eye level to her, when a red smear on the ground caught his attention, there was a trail of blood leading from the window to him, and he realized that his neck felt wet, and there was fresh blood on her shirt and her arm and cuts scattered across her face. "Dammit. Can't you fucking be careful?"

She jerked away and cried harder. "I'm s-sorry."

Draco sighed, "I'm not angry, love." He touched her cheek, rubbing his thumb up and down her cheek bone. "I'm worried. We are going to draw a bath, there will be healing potions and it will help you relax." He grabbed her hand and brought her to the door on the right side of the bed, and ushered her in.

There were bright lights welcoming her, along with white marble floors that led into the vanity. The marble had little flex of gold in it, making the room sparkle even more. On top of the vanity was a black bowl that had its own flecks of gold to match the rest of the bathroom. The faucet was just ordinary black, but the arch was like a swan as it dipped deep into the black bowl. The toilet was by the bathtub, which was a creamed colored claw foot tub that was extremely deep and long, and there was a separate shower away from the tub. Draco opened up one of the drawers in the vanity that was lined with rows of potions, and he pulled out a red bottle going over and dumping it into the tub, turning on steaming water.

Hermione awkwardly stood there for a moment before curiosity took over placing her on the toilet next to the tub so she could observe. "What's that?"

"It's a potion that will help you heal." He said going back into the drawer grabbing two more bottles and pouring them in.

"What are those?"

"One helps with all your pain and the other helps with anxiety." He sighed, she was a curious one. He went back grabbing one more bottle, sliding the drawer shut.

He sauntered over, sitting on the edge of the tub, getting ready to pour the last bottle in. "What's that one?" She piped up, she couldn't just be quiet, and she needed to know everything.

"Oh?" Draco raised his eyebrows. "You don't want to know." He turned his gaze away from her tilting the bottle slowly, in a taunting fashion.

"Draco Malfoy! What is it?"

Draco sighed in defeat. "It's something special, a special weapon you could say. It's for moments like these, when a girl needs a bubble bath." He said wiggling his eyebrows at her.

She opened her mouth confused, then closed it and realized he was playing a joke on her as he dumped the contents into the tub, a nice mountain of bubbles forming. "That's not funny!" She said giggling at him. It felt good to have a stress free moment, no matter how small it was.

It was silent as the tub finished filling, but it was a comfortable silence. However, Draco being Draco had to ruin it. "I figured you'd want to relax before your journey. You are leaving tomorrow." He said turning off the steaming water. "I'm giving you money, and you'll have your own volt at Gringotts in case, clothes are being purchased for you and you will be all packed and ready in the morning."

Hermione felt a sudden panic take over her, but she remained silent. "You'll have an apartment you can stay at so you aren't on the streets. You can stay there as long as you like, or until you find something more suitable. Get undressed and into the tub. I know you'll mind but I am staying in here to make sure you are safe. End of story." He turned around and had to fight the urge to watch her undress, his heart beating painfully fast as he heard her pants unzip and each item of clothing fall to the floor.

"Draco, where do I put the clothes?"

"Leave them on the floor; I'll take care of them after you are all done." He heard her sigh and heard the water make a gurgling noise as she stepped in, slowly sinking down into the warm and healing water.

She groaned and winced at first, it was very painful; but it wasn't long until the potions began doing their job and set her body into a relaxed mode as her wounds began tingling, signaling that they were starting to heal.

Draco turned around slowly and noticed she was in all the way, and completely covered from the bubbles, giving her the privacy she wanted. He walked over to the toilet, sitting down with his elbows resting on his knees and eyes closed, needing to relax for just a moment

Hermione eyes him curiously, and a wave of sudden guilt hit her. He had done so much and cared about her, he had changed. She could see it as much as she wanted to deny it, but the only thing she was capable of was pretending it wasn't there and cause him stress. She let out a heavy, frustrated sigh and Draco's head snapped up.

"What?"

She became embarrassed that she had ruined his perfectly peaceful moment. "Nothing." She murmured, feeling very stupid at that moment as silence once again filled the air.

Before she could even stop herself from ruining the silence again she blurted out, "Thank you."

"For what?" Draco scoffed at her sudden change of heart and thankfulness.

"Well everything. You've done a lot for me." She whispered shyly. "And you didn't have to."

Draco had a slow realization that no one had shown her this level of kindness; she was use to fending for herself and taking care of others. She never thought he would help her, she never would have considered that even if she weren't his mate he would have stepped up eventually. She was new to this. "You are welcome."

She smiled contentedly and closed her eyes, taking in the deep scent of lavender, one of her favorite smells. She loved sitting and listening to the crackle of the bubbles in the water popping, it was peaceful and she couldn't fight the sleep that was coming for her.

Draco noticed her soft snoring fill the bathroom and he chuckled to himself, 'that didn't take long' he thought to himself. Knowing she had dozed off he knew she was not going to be going anywhere anytime soon, so it was an opportune moment to dispose of her ruined closed and get her something fresh to wear.

He picked up the bloodied clothes, now dry and flaky, and walked out of the bathroom closing the door quietly behind him so as not to disturb her. He walked to the door across from him room and turned on a light switch that lit up a walk in closet that was practically the size of his bedroom. The carpet was a plush white and in the middle of the large closet was a black leather couch and Draco graciously sat down on it. He had nothing for girl, sure many had come over but they never stayed, he always kicked them out after. The whole room was lined with black shelves that had black clothes, clothes he hadn't even worn. It was impressive, he supposed, but he didn't really care. With a huff of air he got up and grabbed a pair of his black boxers and a black t-shirt for Hermione. He looked around to see if there was anything else, but it was fairly fancy clothing, so this would have to do.

Draco headed back to the bathroom, knocking on the door and opening it. "Hermione I have clothes for yo-"Draco stopped when he saw no Hermione in the tub, and looking around the tub there was no water. She hadn't gotten out but instead her little frame had slipped under the water. He tossed the clothes aside and ran to the tub, plunging his hands into the warm water, gripping her body and yanking her out. Water splashed out of the tub, all over the floor and soaked him to the bone.

She immediately started coughing, and sneezing and coughing some more, her body violently curling into a ball as she puked up water. He didn't realize how little she was to have sunk into the tub like that, how fragile she kept seeming. He could have lost her and the thought made him pull her onto his lap, gripping her tightly as she shivered from the chill, she was still coughing but it was coming out less violent.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked him.

He laughed a dry laugh, "Me? You are the one who almost drowned."

"Well your heart is beating really fast, and you are breathing hard."

"I'm fine." He scooped up the naked girl and brought her to his bed laying her down and eyeing her carefully. She was a delightful sight, with her pale skin and slender curves; she was the definition of perfection. He grabbed the robe from the end of the bed and draped it over her body, then left to retrieve the clothes from the bathroom floor. "This is all I have for you right now." Tossing them on the bed.

She nodded her head in thanks and got herself off the bed as Draco turned, facing the bathroom door, to give her privacy. She bent down to put on the shorts and noticed that her arms had no cuts and on her forearm the word Mudblood was just a light scar on her. Her stomach wasn't hurting as much and the wounds were almost healed, just a little tender. It was amazing, someone would have thought this all happened weeks ago.

"Malfoy!" She screamed. "Look!" She held out her arms to show off the non-existing wounds.

Draco turned quickly only to see a perfectly fine Hermione. "What's wrong?" He asked trying to look only at her face.

"It's practically disappeared. I'm flawless!" She climbed on to the bed, going over it and jumping onto him, her bare body flush against his and her arms a vice grip around his neck. He slowly snaked his arms over her body, noticing how soft her skin was.

"You are amazing at potions! Thank you so much!" She pulled away and squeezed his biceps in excitement.

"Hermione." His voice was strained because all he wanted to do at that moment was throw her onto his bed and make her his. "Put clothes on."

She froze, all excitement leaving her face at his cold tone, and then she realized she was completely naked. Her eyes started to tear up as she turned around and put the clothes on. She was embarrassed beyond belief, she was being too comfortable around him and he obviously didn't care and wasn't excited or happy for her. He was the same Malfoy as ever. The worst was that she felt so comfortable around him, being naked with suck ease, it made her feel dirty yet is didn't and on top of it the guilt was the fact that she was with Ron and now she was naked in front of someone she wasn't even dating. It made her feel like a whore. She slipped on the satin boxers and loose t-shirt. They were both baggy but comfortable, and then she sat on the middle of the large bed sniffling.

"What did I do now?" He growled. "I told you to put damn clothes on! I'm respecting you!"

"It's not that." She said shaking her head. "I am not a whore; I don't usually strut around naked." She said fluttering her hand around. "And it makes me embarrassed and obviously you are annoyed and all I've done is been a problem since you helped me and I can tell you regret it."

Draco was angry. She was trying to read his mind for God's sake! Yes she caused a lot of trouble but he didn't regret saving her for a second! After a deep breath he finally spoke. "I know you are not a whore. I know that you don't strut around naked, and there is nothing to be embarrassed about. You are beautiful. And I will never regret saving you and the annoyed look on my face, unfortunately for me that's my face." He chucked, climbing on the bed behind her, turning her face to look into her eyes.

"It's not just that, I am too comfortable." She wasn't going to admit that she still felt self-conscious about what Draco was seeing, but she was comfortable not having clothes on around him without feeling awkward or violated.

"What's that mean?"

Hermione didn't answer, but instead laid her head on the red pillow stretching her entire frame and curling into a ball, her feet on Draco's lap.

He looked at her perfect unpainted toes, her feet were so small and her delicate ankles let to her smooth calves. She was absolutely flawless. "A-are you hungry?"

Hermione looked like she was contemplating this though, "No," she breathed. "I think I am just tired." She sat up using her hands as support behind her. "Where am I sleeping?"

"Well," Draco looked nervous. "I said that we have been together for a little over a year, so it's expected, especially since you are my mate that you stay in my room." He waited for her to process this, and when she didn't attempt to kill him he continued. "But I will be giving you the bed and I will be sleeping on the floor."

"It's your bed I will sleep on the floor!" She protested.

Draco took out a new wand, he had extras made in case, and charmed himself a bed and threw himself into all the plush pillows and blankets. "But I am so comfortable!" He whined.

Hermione chuckled, "No, you are so ridiculous." She flopped herself back on the pillow.

She felt very tired, but her mind wouldn't stop thinking. It had been a busy day, she had gone through a lot and it was only the beginning of her adventure. She was leaving tomorrow and she had nowhere to go, she had no one anymore and that thought terrified her. It would be a different if they were dead, she though, because then I would know they are gone for good, but right now I am alone and they are out there and they won't be coming back.

Maybe she was meant to be alone; she had done this to herself after all. She wasn't quick enough to do a concealing harm on her purse, which she should have done to begin with; but she acted with ignorance. All of which nearly cost their lives. And because of her stupidity she had risked the lives of all muggles and, as they referred them, Mudbloods.

She was on a verge of a panic attack; she could feel it creeping up into her chest and the darkness closing in on her. Moments like this was when she would just curl up into a ball and read for distraction. She looked at the bookshelves across the room and smiled, looking over to Draco; whose eyes were closed and he had peaceful expression and regular breaths that hinted at sleeping, so she snuck out of bed; shivering slightly when cold hardwood touched her bare feet.

She sneaked quietly around the bed heading to the place across the room that held the items that could save her, when a voice cut through the air making her jump and releasing a squeak. "What are you doing?"

She froze standing straight up and looking at Draco innocently. "Nothing, I was, um I just." She looked down feeling incredibly stupid for the hundredth time that day, she was invading his space, and this was his room and his stuff after all. She shouldn't have just gone and taken a book off his shelf.

"Were you going to go out the window again?" Draco growled.

Hermione's head shot straight up. "No! I just wanted a book!"

Draco stood up walking slowly to her, his hands reaching out and going to her sides and kissed her forehead. "You lay down, I'll get you one."

Normally she would have protested because how was he to know what she liked, but she just needed any type of distraction right now, so she nodded and did as she was told making herself comfortable on the bed as Draco went to go grab two books, one for each of them and came back handing her the book he had chosen, "Fiction or Fact of the Wizarding World." Hermione had to stop herself from laughing because to the muggle world all of this was fiction.

"Mind if I sit down with you?"

Hermione spread her whole body stretching her limbs over the silky materials. "I don't think there is enough room." She sighed.

"It's a king size bed!" Draco laughed.

"Well I suppose there is a little bit of room." She said moving over and opening her book she began reading the first page as Draco sat down. She smiled at the first line, "To the muggle world everything about the wizarding world would seem to be fiction, even to new witches and wizards." Hermione feel into deep reading focusing on each word and going through chapters in no time. She found herself surprised by some of the things she had discovered, but it didn't take long until she had fallen asleep into dreams of fiction based on the facts of the past.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Draco notices she had fallen asleep a while ago, the way her book went limp in her grasp said it all. She was too tired and weak to hang on anymore, she finally looked peaceful and happy, a drastic change from what she looked like all day, being full of fear and sorry.

But the peace didn't seem to last long, soon enough her face contorted into a face of fear and she began shaking. Draco new the stages and he knew what it was like to have nightmares haunt you all the time, he had grown accustomed to it, but Hermione's journey was just beginning to start. It was something she had to go through, because he knew being woken up with a nightmare was only going to make it worse.

"Please stop," Hermione cried in her sleep before she quickly shot up and screamed. Hermione had thought this through a long time ago and had set up a spell so as not to stay in nightmares too long, in case she were to find herself in a traumatic situation; she didn't want to lose her sanity from the fear her dreams gave.

"I'm here" Draco whispered, she became aware of her surroundings. She looked at him wide eyed and suddenly tossed herself into his lap clinging to the only familiar thing she had now.

"I put a spell to block nightmares, in case, but it's not working." She shuddered as tears fell.

Draco ran his hand through her hair, "You have gone through a lot, it all just happened today and you can't expect life to go on like it never happened." He went to pull her away to tuck her in but she dug her nails into his side.

"Malfoy don't you dare." She said burying her head into his stomach, taking a deep breath memorizing his sent and she felt the sudden urge to believe everything he said. Logic be damned, she wanted to kiss him and wanted to be touch him and be loved by him and experience things that most people didn't get the chance to. "Please stay."

"Okay Hermione." He said slightly glad that he didn't have to sleep on the other bed but even more glad that, for at least tonight, he could have her next to him. "Forever."

It didn't take long for Hermione to relax her tense body and quickly find herself in a mist of sleep, one without nightmares, and one that would give her enough sleep to think logically unlike today.

Draco thought this whole thing was very curious. He couldn't find any distaste towards her anymore, at first he thought it was the Veela curse doing such things, but he realized everything he thought was because of people around him and his own stupidity for listening; and the only reason they hated each other was because of how he treated her. In fact looking back on it they could have been friends, even something more, they had quite a bit in common and they were both highly intelligent. It explained why the Veela curse put them together, it was designed to find someone compatible, and someone who could save you from yourself and make you a better person.

Draco could already feel himself becoming better because of her, even before he discovered who she really was, just from his dreams he had all these ideas of things that he was going to do for her. Get her favorite flowers that no one had ever gotten for her; buy her as many books as she wished, her favorite candy and go to her favorite places. He wanted to do right by her, especially now that he knew who she was. He realized he knew more than what he realized and seeing her broken face; he never wanted to see it again. And for the one day they had left together he would make sure he wouldn't see it.

He knew she would be leaving; she was going to reject him tomorrow, if she was happy it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. He hoped she would like the apartment he picked out, that she would like the clothes and be content for now. He would be sending more than enough money, the apartment would have food for her. Everything was set in place and was going to be perfect tomorrow. Except that Hermione wasn't going to be with him.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Hermione opened her eyes, the sun rays pulling her from her slumber through the window. She let out a large stretch, her body still aching from the events of yesterday. The memories came back full force and she had to control the tears that were threatening to spill. She reached over to Draco to find comfort in his warmth, but the bed space was cold and empty. She sat up, her heart pounding; once again she was alone in the cold, large room.

She was going to get worse if she didn't have anything to do, she figured she needed something to stay busy so she grabbed the book she was reading last night and decided to finish it. She picked up bits of information here and there and she finished within an hour. The room was still empty; he had not come back to her. She went over to the door just to discover it was once again locked. He might as well have been keeping her prisoner.

She could wash her hair, if she took a shower that would waste time surely. But something about that didn't seem right; she wasn't welcomed to do that. So she sat idle on the bed staring into space and waiting. This waiting only gave her time to contemplate life, unfortunately something she did too often.

She was going to leave Malfoy manor now, live on her own and start over. A potential scary thought entered her mind. What if she changed her name and obliviated her memories, then she wouldn't remember anything of magic, or the pain of war; she wouldn't even know there was a war. Everything would be gone, no memories from last night nothing. The idea of leaving Harry and Ron behind saddened her greatly, but it was replaced when she realized that she would have no recollection of them anyway so it didn't really matter.

She could steal Malfoy's wand and bring it with her to the apartment, then she could perform the spell and start over with her life. It all sounded so tempting, all she needed was to get an extra wand, and last night she remembered Draco pulling out an extra of his from a drawer; so leaning to the nightstand she opened the drawer and saw 4 extras, no one would notice she took one, and even if they did it would be too late.

Hermione grasped the wand, closing the drawer, and sat silently with it in her hand. She could feel the hum of magic come from the wand. It was 10 inches, made of hawthorn wood and Hermione could feel the power of the unicorn hair core. It was powerful and she felt the familiar power her wand gave her. In power aspect their wands were the same, even if they weren't made of the same substance. Hermione remembered in second year she gave her wand to Ronald while his was broken and he complained that hers didn't feel the same way, but in her hand Draco's wand felt very close to the same.

A wave of sadness hit her. She would probably miss magic the most, it defined her. That and reading of course but magic was a huge part of her life. She lay back on the bed twirling the wand in her fingertips and put the point gently to her temple. It would be so easy. She closed her eyes envisioning her performing the spell. She didn't have to kill herself to forget the pain, she just had to literally get rid of the memories and the pain would be forgotten.

At that moment Draco walked in and saw Hermione with the wand to her head, he had only seen that once before and the person had committed suicide with unforgivable curse and the force of the spell blew through the guy's skull, his blood splatter forever marking Draco. It was as permanent in his brain as the Dark Mark on his arm he had to take the was so ever so quietly he walked to her, careful not to scare her, then grabbed the wand quickly out of her hands. "What the fuck are you doing?"

Hermione sat up quickly, eyes wide with shock. "Nothing! Where have you been?"

"Hermione why the fuck did you have my wand?" He shouted bending over to look her in the face.

"Where have you been?" She once again avoided his question; it was now her secret and her burden to bare.

"Tell me why you have my wand and I'll tell you where I've been." He retorted, mentally slapping himself at his childish negotiation.

It took Hermione two seconds before her hand swung back and slapped him across his face, anger boiling over "It's not a negotiation." She said standing up and trying to stand as tall as him, while she was almost a foot shorter. "Tell me where you've been." She deadpanned.

Draco glared at her, finally angry. Did she not realize what she could have done? How scared he was? He grabbed her and threw her on the bed; maybe harsh words would open up her mind. "Listen Granger," he said crawling on the bed his body on top of hers. "You have no room to speak to me, you filthy Mudblood. How dare you touch my wand?" He spat.

Draco saw the hurt flash before her eyes as they welled up with tears. "I knew it." She whispered. She was stupid for needing him last night, stupid for trusting him.

"Knew what?" He growled, trying not to cave at her pain

"You are still a selfish, egotistical, prat, who gets his kicks on hurting others."

He put his face dangerously close, his nose touching the tip of hers. "That's where you are wrong Granger, at least when it comes to you. I just said what you wanted to hear." He got up and walked to his closet grabbing a golden trunk and putting it on the bed.

"What are you going on about Malfoy?" She grumbled, her curiosity once again getting the best of her again.

He flipped the trunk open violently, looking through what appeared to be her clothes. "You have it in your mind that I am such a bad person. I am a Death Eater, I can do no good I cannot change, and everything I do is false." He grabbed a top and pants and threw them on the bed. "Fine. Get your ass in the fucking bathroom and change."

Hermione stood dumbstruck at his sudden outburst of anger, but what did she expect it was Malfoy. She slid on the pants, finding them to be a lot like leggings and then slid on the green dress sweater, not surprised that Malfoy would choose his house colors. She could feel that the clothes fit perfectly, hugging her body and keeping her warm during this spring time, she almost felt pretty and maybe she would have had she looked in the mirror but she didn't even bother, her appearance no doubt ghastly.

She walked out of the bathroom and saw Draco sitting on the bed with his head in his hands, the wand Hermione held earlier snapped in two. She walked up to him matter of factly and said, "Will this do master?"

Draco looked up, his eyes red. "You look fine." He said without malice, it was almost a whisper.

She closed her trunk and folded the used clothes putting them on the bed when a soft voice asked, "why?"

"Why what?" She hissed.

"Why would you try and kill yourself?"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

It took Hermione a moment to register what he meant and the thought made Hermione burst into hysterical laughter that made Draco grind his teeth together. "Think it's funny, do you?"

Hermione sat on the bed next to him. "You are such an idiot."

"Hermione," his voice a dangerous low filled with anger, even if she was his mate he had anger problems that were bound to come to the surface, especially when it came to her safety. "I've seen it happen. You don't know what that's like; I could never live if I saw it happen to you."

"So because you were traumatized you are going to take it out on me? Hardly seems fair" she said looking at him and noticing a hand print on his cheek where she had slapped him, feeling almost guilty.

"It wasn't because I was traumatized. Hermione if you could just shut up for 5 minutes and listen and stop analyzing and fucking assuming shit! I can be the jerk I just was because you expect it, or I can be the greatest person that can love you endlessly if you would just give me a chance. Don't you understand that the idea of you dying would destroy me, knowing you did it yourself, that you were that unhappy here when I am helping you be free?" He sighed.

Hermione didn't want to admit her original plan, it felt silly and she knew he would try to stop her, so she simply stated, "I'm sorry. I won't do it again." But deep down in her heart she knew she would take another wand and complete the task she set upon herself, she would make no real promises

Draco daringly put his hand on hers, "I didn't mean what I said, I just wanted to prove a point. I hated it to be honest, but you needed it."

She avoided his gaze as if that would make what he said go away, "When am I leaving?" She questioned, changing the subject

"Later, I figured you would like to get something to eat, and take a stroll outside. The roses are beginning to bloom" he offered

"You'd let me go outside?" She questioned excitement and confusion bubbling inside of her.

Draco gave her an incredulous look. "You are not a prisoner, or a slave or anything like you think. I've got an apartment for you, it's already."

"Then let's just go to it. I can eat later." Hermione stated

Draco felt a pain go through his chest, and he had to control his unsteady breathing. In a matter of hours he would no longer be alive, because she had rejected him. He was trying too hard to block out thoughts of her, every time he thought something to be adorable; he was reminded she would leave him soon and he couldn't hide that pain from his face.

Hermione noticed and felt a pang of guilt, she was hungry she supposed and fresh air would do her good. She might as well enjoy the last hours before she lost her memories. "Actually I'm kind of hungry."

Draco's face snapped up with a smile. Hermione tried not to cringe, it looked so strange on him, yet it was so beautiful. _Okay_, she thought, _you are obviously hungry to the point of insanity_.

Draco stood and went in her trunk getting her a leather jacket and a pair of black flats handing them to her. "It's a bit chilly out, and I figured you didn't want to go barefoot."

"Thanks." She murmured.

Hermione slipped on the jacket and shoes and headed to the door, grabbing Draco's hand entwining her fingers with his. He looked at her surprised. "You said we have been dating over a year, have to keep up the pretenses." He gave a curt nod and opened the door.

The hallway was still eerie as ever, but it wasn't as empty as when she first came. There were house elves walking around, cleaning the carpet and the walls, dusting here and there. Hermione was disgusted, it was cruel to have them work so hard and have so little and Hermione had a look of disapproval. It didn't go unnoticed.

"Gilly, Merl, Jus, you are dismissed."

Hermione's mouth fell open while the house elves looked utterly confused but just mumbled 'yes master' in unison and left slowly as if Draco would change his mind. Once they were out of sight Draco turned to Hermione, "Better?"

She nodded and Draco led her to the spiral black staircase at the end of the hall. Going down Draco had to keep ducking his head because of his height, but Hermione went down with ease and had to stop herself from chuckling at his difficulties. When they reached the bottom she wasn't surprised to find more hardwood floor, it's like they didn't know what carpet was and that their house would be infinitely warmer if they had some.

Hermione looked around the room, it seemed like it was unfinished but was pretending to be finished. The way the couches were set up and wizard's chest, rows of books but the open space seemed to be missing things. She had a questionable look on her face as to why this room was the way it was, it being so normal compared to the other rooms.

"This is my room. It's where I come to think and relax and have my time. I haven't been down here in ages." Draco opened a door Hermione hadn't seen and was leading her out by her elbow

The smell of roses hit her immediately. The path was open for a good yard, it was all gravel and slowly blended into grass that was the rest of the manors land, but if you followed the path it narrowed and was just enough for two or three people, bushes of roses taller than Hermione on each side, each rose a vibrant red.

Draco continued leading her in, taking left turns and right turns, the whole place was a maze but he knew it like the back of his hand. "How do you not get lost?"

"I'm perfect." He said looking as though he were offended. She just rolled her eyes. "I use to get lost in here often, so I had to learn how to get around. It was a training tactic my father used on me."

"Your father just threw you in here?" She asked, full of shock.

"For survival, I had to use my brain to figure a way out, and if I didn't by dark I had to stay overnight and try again in the morning. I tried climbing over all the bushes, and that was the first time I made it back home within a day, but the thorns gave me away and he sent me right back in."

"That's awful." Hermione mumbled.

"Well it's paid off."

"How?"

"Let's just say there are certain…tasks…that I have had to do with no help but just being ordered to figure it out on my own." He sounded mysterious then, like he was harboring great secrets but she already knew one of them.

"Like killing Dumbledore," she spat.

Draco stopped walking as pure anguish settled into his heart. It made Hermione uncomfortable; she expected to see a proud smirk, not pure disgust and hatred for himself. But it was no more than what he deserved, he helped get him killed.

But instead of rubbing it in his face she decided to change the subject, "Tell me a secret." She said continuing walking as Draco walked lowly behind her.

"I've been crucioed as a lesson by my father." Hermione stopped and whipped around looking at him, her hair flying into her face.

"What?"

"You see, Granger, you know nothing about me. You don't know why or how I could be so cruel. Do you want to know?" Her scared expression said otherwise but he kept speaking. " From the age of five I was trained to hate you, my best friend was a muggle once, that year my father brought him home and killed him in front of me. I cried like a foolish child and he cruioed me so as to teach me a lesson to not be weak. That's why I'm so angry, that's why I look like I don't care because it's trained in me."

Hermione's mouth had to be forced shut; she didn't want him to know she felt sorry for him, that it was sad for him to meet such a fate. Instead she replied in a cold tone that surprised even her, "Then leave. If you aren't man enough to handle it, leave."

Draco let out a sarcastic laugh. "You don't know how many times I thought about it. Right before Dumbledore died, I considered not bringing the Death Eaters in, but I still had no choice."

"Malfoy there is always a choice!" She yelled walking up to him and getting in his face. "You are too much of a coward to take it."

"You may be right." He replied calmly. "But not when my parent's lives are at stake. What people don't know is that if I were not to follow through with the task, Voldemort was going to kill my parents. My father's evil but there is love somewhere in there, it's just been morphed into hate, and my mother is beautiful and has never once shown me any type of cruelty, she is the only thing I know about love. So excuse me if I decided to spare their lives by giving up Dumbledore's and my own."

Hermione was shocked, the Malfoys were so high in the ranks for the Dark Lord is was surprising he would so easily kill them, it show how little he truly cared for people, even his followers. But giving up his only life didn't make an ounce of sense to her; he wasn't going to die any time soon was he? "What do you mean your own?"

"You become a Death Eater and there is no going back. And don't you dare tell me I had a choice, I did. Once again it was either I get my dark mark or my parents and I get sacrificed to show others what not to do. I didn't choose the latter." At this point they had stopped walking.

Hermione had tears in her eyes; she knew what it was like to have to choose. She chose to sacrifice her life for everyone, for the greater good. Some would call her stupid, some would say she was being a martyr; it didn't really matter because just like Draco, she had made a choice for what sounded right, even if it was wrong to others.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"It doesn't matter." He walked on and she stood there dumbly until it registered to follow him.

She took quick strides to reach him and grabbed his shoulder feeling a jolt of some sort, but dismissing it. "It does matter."

"It's in the past Granger."

What did she expect; she kept pushing him and making him angry. Of course it was going to make him close himself off. He just shared important information and she had tried to dismiss it in the beginning by calling him a coward. She had no one else to blame that he was acting how he was, but it hurt. What happened to her being called by her first name, what happened to him looking at her nicely, like he had the night before? Today had changed something and he kept going back and forth in his behavior. It was confusing.

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Change." She said. "I pushed you I'm sorry."

Draco let out a long sigh and composed himself. "No I am sorry, let's just forget this conversation." He said, lifting his hand to stroke her soft cheek once with his thumb before removing it and continuing on.

"I don't want to." She whispered, following after him. She had just learned an important piece of him, something that made him more human; likable even. It was like he had turned into a person not just a stone with a beautiful outer layer.

Her head was hung down and the mood in the air was shifted, but Draco decided to leave it that way. He didn't know what to say or do to fix it, he wasn't use to be good; so the sooner they got to lunch the better things would be. They walked in silence until Draco reached the clearing, the center of the maze if you will. It was an open space with grass and multiple other entrances to the clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a bright red blanket, with a picnic basket in the center and two black and silk pillows.

Hermione's mouth hung open, it was so beautiful and peaceful with all the roses and the blanket and the sun shining right down like a spotlight. "Why did you do this?" She said, kicking off her shoes and stepping on the blanket so she wouldn't get it dirty. Draco smiled at that.

"This is what I was doing while you slept and I figured we could talk before you leave, I know you can never forgive me or love me; but I just need one memory of us to hold onto."

"It's a bad memory considering we just argued." She chuckled.

"Ah indeed we did, but we both are not upon the blanket yet." He grinned, holding out his hand taking Hermione's and adding himself onto the blanket next to her. "So my lady from this moment forth we are to not argue on the blanket. As soon as we step off you may proceed and slit my throat if you wish." He brought the hand he was holding to his lips and kissed it. "So without further ado," Draco sat down, opening the picnic basket. "We eat."

Hermione hesitated a moment before she decided there was no harm to be done and sat down crossing her legs. Draco smiled at her and began pulling food out. There were sliced apples, his favorite fruit, carrots, cookies and the main dish, Spiced rice, like the rice from the Three Broomsticks that Madam Rosemerta made. Draco pulled out two glasses and then a bottle of pumpkin juice. Hermione smiled, these were her favorite foods oddly enough.

"What are you smiling at?" Draco said catching her smile.

"These are my favorite foods, just the chances o-"

"It wasn't chance. I'm a Veela, part of that is having dreams that give you hints to your mate. One of my dreams we were at a restaurant and you wanted spiced rice, so I figured today I'd give it to you. Besides you deserve a good meal."

"Thank you." She said, taking the fork offered.

"Dig in" Draco said sticking his fork into the large bowl and taking a big bite. Hermione followed suit and smiled at the taste.

Travelling with Ron and Harry to find the Horcruxes didn't give her much time to eat, and when she did eat it wasn't much or anything pleasant. She kept shoveling food in her mouth, quickly swallowing and putting in more.

"Hermione," Draco said, staring at her confused. No women he met openly ate anything other than a salad in front of him, and much less this much this fast. "When was the last time you ate?"

Hermione looked at him and swallowed looking away. It had been a while. She hadn't eaten today until now, she didn't eat the day before, or the day before that because they were on a mission, nor the day before that because she was planning the mission and was making sure Ron and Harry had enough food to give them strength for that mission. She hadn't eaten in a long while, she hadn't even noticed but how her clothes fit around her she could recall they were getting bigger. "A while ago, about 3 and a half days ago. Not the longest time though."

"Well no wonder why you looked like you lost a bunch of weight! Weren't you starving?"

"I never had time to be starving." She took another bite and quickly swallowed. "There was just too much to do and not always enough, and Harry and Ron needed strength to keep going."

"What about you? Didn't you? Did they not think of that?" Draco huffed.

Hermione set her fork down. "They did, but there was an unspoken thought amongst all of us. Since I'm muggle born we knew my chances of living would be slimmer in general, not just because I was helping defeat you know who. We felt it was only a matter of time before I was caught so why waste food."

Draco was shocked, she was so giving, so sacrificial that she went into this battle knowing she would die; it wouldn't surprise him if she threw herself in the middle of the field as a distraction, only to be killed on the spot. "Well dear Hermione you don't have to worry about that anymore, no one's going to touch you upon penalty of Death, and the Dark Lord has assured me your safety. He needs me; he can't exactly have me dead because my mate died. So you can eat all the food you want."

"Gladly." She said, shocking them both when she let the mention of Voldemort go.

"Malfoy I just wanted you to know something." she took a deep breath. "What you went through is important and I didn't mean to make it sound like it was your fault those things happened, it's not. And I admit that I've made choices about things that I am not necessarily proud of, and well, I'm sorry." It sounded foreign but familiar at the same time, like that is what she should have said. Draco offered a smile as an acceptance of her apology.

They stayed in a comfortable silence, Hermione quickly finishing off the food and laying back on the pillow stretching out and curling onto her side facing Draco. "What's your favorite color?"

Draco lay on his side propping up his head with his hand and faced her, thinking deeply about the question. "I am going to have to say blue, not any type of blue though; a deep calm blue, the same color as my mom's eyes because it reminds me of familiarity."

Hermione briefly thought about his mother, she had only caught a glimpse really but the deep blue eyes were enough to stand out and imprint on your brain. As she looked into Draco's silver eyes, she could see hints of blue and golden flecks in them. They were soft and kind at that moment as he stared back at her.

"You have the blue in your eyes, if you look closely. You have your mother's eyes."

Draco beamed at her and put his hand on her cheek, "Thank you."

For the first time, at that very moment, Hermione saw him in a new light.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Hermione didn't remember much as she woke up and stretched on the blanket, she could only remember the random pieces of conversation she shared with Malfoy, learning favorite colors and favorite foods, and finding out deep personal secrets and dreams. They were showing sides that you wouldn't think to be revealed so soon, but there was that intimacy of the conversation that made you know the other person could be trusted; no matter how small of information you gave.

She looked over to see her and Malfoy's hands intertwined, not like that when she fell asleep but it was fairly comfortable. She was feeling like something had been missing and now it was complete. And a thought donned on her, while she was on her journey with Harry and Ron things felt incomplete, she just assumed it was because she knew she didn't have her parents anymore, but since she's been in Malfoys presence it doesn't seem so much.

The thought scared Hermione; she was going to pull her hand away when she looked at his sleeping face. There was no point in saying Malfoy wasn't attractive, she'd have to be daft and only saying so in spite. His complexion was flawless and his jaw line strong. His hair was a ruffled bright blonde mop on his head, and you could see his muscle through his clothes. Obviously he was attractive, he looked different since the last time she had seen him, no longer a lanky tall forbidding man but one of statue and strength. He looked so peaceful sleeping and he was beautiful.

She wanted to be disgusted, but she couldn't be, because her desire at that moment was to reach over and touch his face and pull him close. Her desire was to accept her fate as his mate, to kiss him and pretend all the bad in the world was not happening and just focus on the good she was going to have, that she finally deserved after years of fighting for her life.

But there was so much garbage, so much bad things that she had to deal with. He had been mean to her for years, said horrible things that could never be forgotten; not easily anyway, but he had apologized. It was all so confusing, what would people think if they knew she was thinking this way, why had these thoughts even cross her mind. She had things she needed to do, like leave the whole wizarding world behind, live a life finally.

"Hermione, if you think anymore I am sure your brain will implode," Draco said, his voice pulling her out of her thoughts, she was slightly thankful she was going to be on her way to a path of self-destruction if she kept thinking. "And I know I am hopelessly attractive, but staring isn't polite." He smiled at her as she looked away embarrassed because she had just been thinking about that.

She recovered quickly, "Actually I was pointing out all your flaws in my head."

"No wonder you were thinking so hard, you couldn't find any. I know, a God such as myself, is just too beautiful for you to handle." He joked.

Hermione sat up and quickly hit him with the black pillow in the face, a look of utter shock coming over his features. "There, now you look better." Something inside her said she was getting too comfortable, but she wouldn't stop.

Draco leaned over and started tickling her and before she knew it she was pinned underneath him, her laughter ringing in their ears making Draco the happiest man on earth. Hermione gasped for air, trying to push Draco away in her fits of laughter, when he finally stopped tickling her and looked her in her eyes. They were a beautiful honey color, it matched her hair wonderfully.

"Get up" She said gasping, feebly trying to push him off, her face confused when he didn't respond.

"I'll get up, on one condition, you kiss me." He knew it was daring and bold but he just had to know what it felt like, just once, then he could die happy. He could die a thousand times and still be happy holding on to that memory as his last.

"You aren't serious."

"Deadly."

Draco leaned closer into her, his nose touching hers and taking in her scent. His mouth was so close to hers, it was only a few breaths away. But just like that, thunder crashed and lightning crackled sending a downpour on the two of them. Hermione gasped at the noise and the sudden coldness of the rain, when Draco quickly apparated them back to his room and they were both now on his bed.

Hermione felt nervous and her breathing was labored, "Thank you."

"Any time." He whispered. "Where was I?" he smirked leaning back in.

Hermione could feel the pressure; feel the overwhelming of the senses invade her. She needed it to go away, before it consumed her, so quickly she leaned her head up and gave him a quick kiss that surprised both of them. He was too stunned to do anything so she slid out from underneath him and quickly opened her trunk, grabbing a pair of random clothes and ran into the bathroom to change into something dry before Draco could even register what happened.

Hermione stood in front of the mirror and took in her disheveled appearance. Her long hair fell in wet curls that clung to her face, and she found it surprising that she was soaked despite the short amount of time she had been outside in the rain. She looked hideous and still Draco wanted to kiss her. Putting her hand to her lips she smiled slightly, it was brief yet beautiful; the simplicity of it sweet.

Shaking her head, to get rid of the thoughts, she quickly changed and was attempting to run her fingers through her hair to fix it, but the attempt was futile as she kept getting stuck in knots. So in a pair of jeans and a fuzzy blue sweater she walked out of the bathroom, the room surprisingly dark from the storm. The rain was beating on the window so loud it made Hermione slightly nervous, a new thing that had developed in recent years.

Hermione put her wet clothes on top of her trunk and found Draco was sitting on the window seat, in dry clothes, staring out into the rain, the lightning every now and again showing his face. He looked deep in thought, obviously thinking too much like herself.

Hermione slowly walked over to him, the floor cold on her bare feet. "You alright?"

Draco turned and faced her offering a smile, "I'm fine. Do you want to get some rest?"

"I'm not tired."

"Are you sure? In a couple of hours you'll be busy travelling and unpacking your stuff."

Hermione froze, was it already that time? She was going to lose her memories when she got there, and for some reason that set in a panic attack. She was going to have to start all over, completely and alone for that matter. The thought terrified her. She needed someone, didn't everyone?

Draco could sense her unease, but didn't say anything, instead he was surprised when he felt her hand on his shoulder and her small voice saying, "You are a Veela."

"I know that." He said slightly confused.

"And I'm your mate." She wasn't asking really, she was just making statements.

"Yes."

"I'm leaving soon."

"I know."

"How will you manage?"

"I'll live." Draco replied, almost laughing at the irony of his statement. He knew the minute he walked out that door of her apartment, he would die within a matter of hours.

Hermione sat on the floor next to him, cross legged. So many emotions were happening right now in her mind. "Draco?" She whispered, for the first time using his name.

The way it sounded stunned Draco, he couldn't even think right, his name rolling off her tongue like that.

"I'm your mate." She said again, pulling him out of his daze.

"I know." Draco sighed, defeated. This woman needed to stop reminding him that his reason for existing was going to be gone in a matter of hours.

Hermione stood and began pacing in front of him, a million thoughts going through her head. Her breathing was getting heavy and was now panicking. She just wanted it to stop, for everything to make sense, for her headache to go away. "Please." She whispered in a broken voice to no one in particular.

"Hermione?" He said grabbing her hand and stopping her mid-stride.

She stood facing him with a determined face that held pleading eyes. "Please don't send me away"

Draco's heart broke for her pain because he felt her pain, he knew exactly what it was like, but he had anger flare over him. He dropped her hands. "You fucking chose that."

"I was scared!" She protested.

"Of what? Heaven forbid that you are loved! For Merlin's sake Hermione! I am not going to keep you here against your will."

Hermione sat next to him on the window sill, grabbing his hands tightly so he couldn't pull away. "It's not." She whispered.

Draco looked deeply into her eyes. "I have loved you since third year, when you punched me in the face; it started to open my eyes that you weren't what I was taught. But I didn't realize that because I was blinded by my hate, but that's when the feelings began." He sighed. "Over the years I've noticed things that have made me fall you for, but I know when to let something go because you love them, and I won't make you stay just because you are my mate."

Hermione took in a deep breath, the information unsettling, and her reaction even more so. She couldn't figure out why she was saying what she was saying or acting the way she was, but for once in her life she was going to just feel and not think. "It's not that." She reached out and touched his face. "I've known something was missing for a long time, the longer I've been here the more I am realizing that there is no void anymore."

Draco stared at her solemnly, "Hermione, I was never going to send you away, the choice has always been yours."

Hermione mustered all her courage and let herself feel, "I want to stay."

"Then stay." Draco whispered.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

They were in the closet putting away her clothes and doing it the 'Muggle' way as Draco liked to call it. He was only joking of course; it gave them more time to banter and talk, doing it this way. They chatted away aimlessly, Hermione wasn't able to pick a fight with him; even if she did disagree with something, instead they kept having witty comments thrown at one another and they were getting along fine. The strange things was that Hermione was fine being alone with him and talking, and she only felt uneasy with all the black clothes in his closet. It just seemed so dark and forbidding.

"Draco we should get more color into your wardrobe." She said innocently, putting a pair of her folded pants on a designated shelf.

"What's wrong with it now?" He asked confused and looking around at his array of clothing.

"It's dismal and dark, there is no character." She said, as if she was stating obvious facts.

Draco gave her an unbelieving look, "There is white in this closet Hermione!" He said pointing to a shirt across the room.

She giggled, "That's a dress shirt, and it doesn't count."

"Fine." He grumbled. "We will go shopping tomorrow, I needed to get stuff anyway."

Hermione froze mid fold, getting suspicious with the word stuff being so vague. "Like what?" She asked, trying to sound casual.

Draco was in the middle of hanging up another shirt, not noticing her body go stiff , and replied nonchalantly, "More clothes for you, lots of closet space to fill, some books; whatever you'd like really, and a wand. Oh and apparently a new wardrobe." He said giving her a smirk.

"No." She replied quickly. Draco had spent enough money on her already, she had so many clothes and there were enough books in this manor to keep her busy for a life time, he already bought her the apartment, that she wasn't going to use and she felt awful about it. She had her own vault and she could buy her own things.

"Pardon me?" He asked hanging up her shirt and looking into her eyes.

"I don't need more clothes or books, and I can pay for my own wand." She stated firmly.

Draco let out a bark of laughter, "I have more than enough money, it's not a big deal."

"Bu-"

"But what? I care and want you to be content and happy, is that so bad? Let me do this." He replied, he was standing his ground and when Draco Malfoy stood his ground there was no going back. Hermione knew that as well as anyone.

"Fine." She muttered.

Draco walked over to her and kissed her forehead, "Please let it go, don't dwell on it."

Hermione let out a heavy breath and folded up her last pair of pants, setting them on the shelf, then she closed her trunk, feeling accomplished with everything put away now. She was exhausted, it had been a busy day and surprisingly she was still pretty emotional, trying to get past the events of Bellatrix was a grueling task and no matter how hard she tried to forget her mind wandered back. But for now she refused to think about it, she was in no mood to dwell and Draco asked her not to, so she would try her best not to.

"So now that's all done, do you want to go out to dinner?"

Hermione looked at him thoughtfully, "What did you have in mind?"

Draco walked over and grabbed her waist in his hands, pulling her close, "Italian? Something fancy."

Draco looked into his silver blue eyes, and for the moment they were clear of all hate, only kindness filled them now and it was foreign to her, yet it looked like it should have been there the whole time. "That sounds like a good idea, but I have nothing fancy to wear."

"Ah," He said kissing her forehead, Hermione had to try to pull away, it still felt strange. "I have that covered." He snapped his fingers and led her to the bedroom, and lying on a bed was a silver garment bag. "Go get changed."

Hermione hesitantly picked up the bag as if it were fragile and headed to the bathroom. She hung up the dress on the golden hook behind the door, unzipping it , revealing a forest green dress, with short sleeves and a suggestive low neck line. Hermione didn't think twice, but took the dress off the hanger and slipped it on. If Draco was going to spend this kind of money, the least she could do was actually wear it.

The soft fabric of the dress fit her tightly, and right below the deep V neckline was a sinched waistline that made her tiny waist even smaller, and the only thing she didn't like was how deep the neckline plunged, other than that it was the perfect length and the perfect fit. Walking over to the mirror, Hermione realized she didn't look that bad, apart from her curly hair that was beginning to get out of hand.

Turning on the faucet, she cupped her hands to gather water and tossed it onto her hair repeatedly until it was damp, then she took her palms and pressed down to tame the frizz. The poof went away and the curls remained, all in all it didn't look too bad. She wished she had her wand to make it wavy and to perfection, but it did look acceptable how it was now. She had no make-up on, but with such a stunning dress she didn't need it, it would just be taking away from the beauty of the dress and going to o far.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the bathroom door, nearly stumbling over a pair of black dress heels. They were shiny and very classy, high enough to lengthen her legs but short enough to keep the class. She slipped them on quickly; it had been a long time since she had worn something this fancy. The Yule ball if she had remembered correctly.

She looked up after putting on the heels and saw Draco dressed in a black suit, with his blonde hair combed through and hanging freely, not slicked back like it used to be. She preferred it this way, didn't look so old fashioned. Hermione knew Draco had always cleaned up nicely, but she had never taken the time to notice just how nice he could look. The suit fit him perfectly, complimenting every part of his body, making him look charming and superior. It was intimidating, if you couldn't see his eyes, which shone with wonder.

"You look amazing." He breathed, making Hermione blush. "Shall we go?" He asked extending his hand to her. Hermione only nodded, afraid to speak, before taking his hand and hanging on tightly as she felt the sucking and pulling on her body as they aparrated, landing in the middle of the side walk.

After regaining her balance, Hermione took her hand off of Draco's and walked by his side. "Where are we and what restaurant did you choose?"

"France," Draco smirked, " And probably no restaurant you've been. Its called Le Gavroche."

Hermione wanted desperately to wipe that smirk off his face by saying she had been there, but she hadn't, she wasant experienced with travelling, and she knew she couldn't lie to Draco because he would only ask questions and she wouldn't be able to answer any of them. So nodding she just walked on, ignoring the feeling of stupidity she felt inside her.

Once they reached the restaurant, Draco opened the large glass door for Hermione to enter. Upon entering Hermione could see tables with candles and white clothes and wine glasses at every table. Some were square and some circular and there were couple sitting close and talking, and there were four or five groups that looked as if they were having an engagement dinner. To set the mood Hermione could hear soft piano music playing in the background.

The hostess, a twiggy man with a bad mustache, greeted Draco with wide eyes and a cheeky smile. "Monsieur Malfoy," Was the only thing Hermione could understand as they exchanged greeting in French.

Hermione wouldn't admit it but hearing Malfoy walk in another language so fluently was attractive, especially in the most attractive language known to man. He could be calling her a Mudblood and she would find it absolutely beautiful. Hermione was just standing there in awe and didn't even realize when Draco grabbed her hand putting it in the crook of his elbow and towing her along.

The heels were making her struggle with walking, but with Draco's poise she looked as graceful as he; she was certain no one saw her stumble. She blushed when they were brought to a secluded corner, with a small couples table and a candle lit in the middle, she blushed harder as Draco pulled the chair out for her to sit in. "Thank you." She mumbled.

Everything about this restaurant didn't scream Hermione, she would never be caught in a place like this, she didn't know what to do or how to behave in social situations, the Yule ball was embarrassing enough for her to function and she knew even less how to act when you are of high status such as the Malfoys. Their status was so high from money and their pureblood nobility that despite all the problems going one, they would remain well known and respected.

Draco sat down across from her, "Do you like it?"

'No' Hermione thought. She looked at him and smiled, "It's absolutely stunning." That was the truth and enough to make him think she liked it. It's not that she didn't like it, it's just that it was far to beautiful and fancy for her taste, maybe she just couldn't fit in here. She hardly fit in anywhere, even the Three Broomsticks, much less an expensive restaurant.

A blonde and busy waitress came over in no time, giving puppy eyes of love in Draco's direction and daggers of Death in Hermione's. Honestly, some girl can take no hints, obviously they were out together not wanting a third party. It only got worse as they exchanged words in French and the blonde giggled, twirling the end of her hair. Hermione wanted no more than to know what they were saying at that moment, but she decided to keep her mouth shut. She didn't own Draco, and she didn't need to get possessive, he was who he was and no amount of Veela blood or war was going to change him.

The waitress left quickly, not quick enough in Hermione's opinion, and Draco turned his attention back to Hermione. "Do you like wine? I ordered some."

'Is that all you did' Hermione thought bitterly. "I've never had it before."

"There's a first time for everything." She smiled.

An award yet comfortable silence filled the air around them. It was awkward because Hermione felt strange and had no clue what to do for conversation, but it was comfortable because Draco looked content, just staring at her. "You know this is a Muggle restaurant."

"Really?" Hermione asked, shocked and confused. "But the hostess, he knew you."

"Believe it or not Hermione the Malfoy's are known all over. We are feared and respected across the globe. Even if my father says he hates Muggles and Muggle borns, them liking us and respecting us has certain perks in his eyes."

Hermione sat with nothing left to say because she was quite shocked, so they sat in another stretch of silence before Draco spoke up. "Do you want to order or shall I order for you?"

Hermione looked away ashamed, "I can't speak or read French so I have no idea what I am doing." She felt embarrassed, like it wasn't normal for her not to understand French.

"I'll cover for you then," Draco said, and right on cue the waitress came back with a bottle of pink wine and poured some in their glasses.

She spoke a little and then Draco spoke cak and she replied and then she left. It was a much shorter conversation than the first, which Hermione was grateful for. Hermione say still after the waitress left, with Draco's gaze on her and the only thing she could do was fidget with her fingers and her thoughts and nerves took over. There were just so many butterflies in her stomach and so many confusing and negative thoughts that Hermione just couldn't keep up with it anymore.

"You are unhappy." Draco stated.

Hermione's head shot up, eyes locking with Draco. "I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to," Draco sighed, "If you want to leave we can."

"No!" Hermione gasped, grabbing his hand that rested on the table. "It's not that. I am just slightly nervous is all, I don't belong in places like this." She pulled her hand back and began fidgeting again.

Draco looked at her with soft eyes, "You belong anywhere that I am."

Hermione looked at him, a small smile gracing her lips. "Aren't you romantic this evening."

Draco leaned back with a smirk on his face, "I try." After a moment of staring at her, a serious and questioning expression went over his face. "Where do you see yourself in five years?"

Hermione was taken aback, no one really asked her that question before, and mainly because no one cared or thought she would make it through the war; despite being the brightest witch of her age. It wasn't a life or death question but it was one she wanted to think through, she saw all the possibilities ahead of her. She always had a dream about helping with Elf Rights, making a law stating that they should get paid for their services like any other person. She had, at one point, wanted to get married and have children perhaps, not that she would be a good mother. She didn't think too hightly of herself in that end, she had no experience being an only child. She has also wanted to be a professor at Hogwarts; correcting essays and tests, there were a lot of things she wanted to do. Maybe even be an Auror, she was brilliant in fighting and skilled at discovering the evil ones. But none of them seemed realistic.

She let out a heavy sigh and finally looked at Draco, "I don't know."

"Close your eyes." Hermione did as told. "imagine there is no war and if there is a war, it's over and your side won." She flinched at the 'your side' comment, reminding her that once again they were on opposite sides. "What would you see?"

Hermione kept her eyes shut and saw herself in a large white house, with a rose bush garden out front and bright green grass. On the porch would be a swing, which she would sit at with a book in her hand and the sun shining off of her wedding ring. Meanwhile in the yard two children would be playing along with their pet dog. That's all she saw, it was rather Muggle, but it wasn't so bad and she didn't see a career in her head yet, but she never graduated from Hogwarts so that was expected.

She opened her eyes and looked at Draco, a small smile gracing her lips, "I'm married with 2 kids and a nice white house. I have multiple career options, but seeing as I haven't graduated, and most likely won't, I have no idea what to do."

"If you had to pick one, which would it be?"

"Elfish Welfare."

Draco laughed at her eager response, "Of course you would."

"There is nothing wrong with that!" She giggled. "What about you? What do you see?" She said quietly, changing the subject to him.

"Easy, Dark Lords first in command." Hermione flinched at his quick answer.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The rest of the evening went well, continuing to dive into each other's mind, and Hermione enjoyed the wine thoroughly. But by the time she was done eating and drinking she was ready to get out of the restaurant, the atmosphere proving to be a bit much after about an hour. It wasn't hard for Draco to sense that.

"Care to go for a stroll?"

"I would like that very much." Hermione smiled at him, her eyes going to his lips momentarily before standing up herself. Had he always been so unbelievably attractive?

Draco held out his hand and let her out the door of the restaurant, giving the hostess a nod goodnight. The cool air hit Hermione's bear arms and legs, sending a ripple of goosebumps throughout her body. But the air was fresh and had a calming effect on Hermione's slightly tipsy state. She didn't really know if she had too much to drink, if that was why she was feeling so strange about Draco or maybe it was just because he wasn't all that bad.

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as Draco led her to a nearby park that was decorated in streetlights. "Draco?" She said as he sat them on a bench in the park.

"Yes, love?"

"Do you think it's real?"

Draco looked at her confused, "Is what real?"

"How I feel."

Draco gave her a curious look and had to hold back a smile. "How do you feel?"

Hermione pondered this thought for a moment. "I feel happy and content and bubbly and giddy and downright strange." She rattled off with a sigh. "But I don't want it to be all about you being a Veela, that's not love. That's just magic pulling two compatible people together so they can 'procreate'" She said using her fingers for quotations.

"My dear Hermione, you will grow to feel more. I already know that what I feel is not only from the bond." He replied calmly, toying with the ends of her hair.

Hermione turned to face him, letting out a large sigh. "But how? How do you know?"

"It's easy. I can feel the Veela instinct in me, telling me that you are mine and I am to protect you and drawing me closer to you. But what it cannot tell me is the things I love about you. Like when you are embarrassed or shy you look away before you respond, or that your dedication to reading is beyond anyone that I have ever met. A Veela picks up on those things over time, but not right away. And I am sorry to disappoint you Miss. Granger; it was right away for me. Your quirks, your intellectual ability, it's got me under a trance that not even the Veela curse could be strong enough to put me under." He said kissing her forehead.

Hermione blushed but had nothing to say. She wanted to believe him, with everything in her being, but not even an hour ago he said he saw himself as Voldemort's first in command and there would be no going back after that. "Can we go home?" She need to sleep desperately, think things through in the morning after she was refreshed, she was too tired to start that process now and if she did, she wouldn't get any sleep tonight or think on any subject logically.

Draco nodded, rather curtly, and grabbed her hand, bringing them back to his bedroom at Malfoy Manor. While Hermione stood awkwardly in a trance, in the middle of his bedroom, Draco produced another pair of his boxers and a T-shirt for her to sleep in. "When she decided to stay he claimed that he 'accidentally' forgot to buy pajamas and they would get some as soon as possible. The truth was, he hid the pajamas because he wanted to see her in his clothes one more time, he found it incredibly sexy and adorable.

He came out of the closet and saw Hermione staring off into space, and before she knew it he was next to her, handing her his clothes. He put his hands on her shoulders, rubbing her arms and kissed her forehead and only then did Hermione get out of her trance and lock eyes with him.

He took that moment to cup her face in his hands and kiss her soft mouth quickly. Then he led her to the bathroom, opening the door for her, and ushered her inside. Hermione was still in a daze, even more so now since Draco kissed her, for the second time and it was better than the first, despite how small. It still felt like it held passion and that passion would have leaked out if the kiss had gone on longer, like it should have.

Kicking off her heels Hermione thought of all the ways it could have gone, how much more she wanted and what it would feel like to have his lips on hers in the way that she was imagining. Dropping Draco's clothes on the floor she yanked the bathroom door open and made the decision again to feel and not think. The sound brought out a surprised, and shirtless, Draco from the closest.

"Is everything ok-"

Hermione lunged at him, not so gracefully, knocking the wind out of him and she hugged him; much to her dismay. She let the nerves get the best of her, and when she pulled away she saw the confused look in his eyes, that caused heat to rise to her cheeks. Hermione didn't want questions asked, so this was her chance.

She slowly brought her mouth to his; standing on her tiptoes to reach, and waited until he responded. It was almost immediate and now it was Hermione's turn to be hesitant. Draco's arms snaked around her waist, pulling her closer to his hard body while Hermione's arms wrapped around his neck. Draco tilted his head, sticking his tongue out to lick her lips, a silent plea for permission to enter. Hermione gave it to him hungrily, their tongues battling for dominance, Hermione moaned lightly at how soft his mouth and lips were and Draco growled in response; backing them up to the bed and hovering over Hermione.

This was the first time Hermione ever felt this way, had ever even done something like this, and the heat that was shooting through her body and the tingling sensation in her lower area, was terrifying and exciting. The worst part is, Hermione knew she should stop, but she just couldn't, not with the passion Draco was giving her, she didn't want to. That is until she felt a certain part of Draco on her thigh that scared her to pieces. She pulled away from the kiss, trying to reach for her scattered thoughts, all in vain as Draco sucked on her nck, lightly grazing her pulse point with his teeth.

"Draco," She half-moaned.

"What is it , love?" He asked, as he continued to place kisses down her neck.

"Stop" was all she could muster, and it came out in a guttural whisper, the only way Draco knew what she said was because of the familiar pain in his chest, on his heart where the Veela side of him felt like he was losing her. He was really but the idea of it, her saying no; was just as good as rejection.

Draco had to maintain his facial expression as he pulled away, doing slow breaths to control the pain. He offered a small smile and kissed her nose, helping her up. He turned to go get dressed himself, and Hermione was left smiling dumbly to herself thinking that is what a first kiss should have been, all the passion and fire and desire. Maybe it shouldn't have escalated so quickly, but Hermione had no regrets.

Walking back to the bathroom she quickly peeled off the dress, putting it on the counter, watching it disappear. It was a Cleaning Charm Draco had set up to help keep his room so spotless, quite difficult charm too, because it had to find the difference between something dirty and something clean, or things would disappear all the time.

Hermione slipped on the familiar silky black boxers and the baggy soft black t-shirt. Hermione felt rather comfortable, and she kind of liked how she felt in his clothes, and how she looked for that matter. It was Dangerous and daring of her really.

Letting out a sigh, content with herself, Hermione looked at her reflection. Her hand slowly went to her swollen lips, and she smiled. She didn't look different, but she felt a little different, more alive. _If he kissed me like that every day I would be very happy,_ she thought. It made her feel like a woman, Ron never made her feel like that, she was always just one of the guys, the nerd of the group. She never had the door opened for her, or dinner ordered for her and it made her feel…Special. Would everyday be like that? Surely it would die soon, no good thing lasts forever.

A scream of pain pulled Hermione out of her thoughts and she rushed out of the bathroom door, finding Draco kneeling by the large window, lit in the moonlight, with a hand holding his chest. Tears were running down his face, and he kept groaning, attempting to breath but it didn't take long until shudders took over his body.

"Draco?" She whispered, jumping when his head turned towards her. His face was deathly pale, his hair disheveled like he had been pulling on it, and his eyes were bloodshot with tears.

He quickly hid his face holding a hand up, as if to guard himself. "Hermione go away."

Hermione felt a sharp pain in her chest suddenly, he didn't want her, and he didn't want her help. But she wasn't going to give up. She walked slowly towards him, kneeling down with her hand on his shoulder. Draco took a deep breath, taking in her scent and calming down slightly, she smelled like peppermint, lavender and vanilla, and it was heavenly to her. Hermione notices his ease and took this opportunity to speak.

"What happened?"

Draco hesitantly looked up at her, he felt the rippling pain go through him ease up. He felt guilty that she was seeing this, he should have contained it better, but the pain was too much. He should have stayed further away. "It's nothing." He muttered jerking his shoulder out from under her hand.

Hermione gasped as pain shuddered through her chest, and she gripped it looking down to the cause, but there was none, taking a deep breath and regain composure she looked up to see Draco's wide eyes in shock.

"What happened?" He asked, repeating her very question from moments earlier, and it irritated her.

"You are a jerk that's what the problem is." She muttered, her eyes filling with tears. "I started trusting you, I kissed you despite your alliance with Voldemort, I am giving you the benefit of the doubt, when I am sure no one else would and you treat me like trash!" Her voice slowly getting higher.

"Hermione you don't understand."

"What? You've been like this all day? Why don't you enlighten me? You are really sweet then you do a complete change! I can't keep up with you!"

"I'm protecting myself!" Draco roared making Hermione flinch and she began crying at his outburst. The complete rage and sorrow on his face, scaring Hermione.

"Because I am capable of hurting you." She sobbed.

"Yes you are. The closer I get to you, the worse I feel." He muttered.

"Then I'm leaving!" She screamed, pushing him to the ground and getting up to walk away, when another scream from Draco stopped her.

He was coughing, crying and shaking on the floor and as much as Hermione wanted to resist helping him she couldn't. Hermione squatted next to him, still crying, she laid her head on his shoulder. "What's wrong?

"It's the curse." He gritted out. "My time is running short. Its April 5th, in exactly two months my eighteenth birthday is happening, the closer I get to it the shorter and harder my life becomes."

"What does that mean exactly?"

"You mean to say a witch, bright as yourself, doesn't know?" He attempted to jest.

"We weren't supposed to learn about Veela's until this year, when most Veela's were coming of age! And if you haven't noticed I've been too busy fighting for my life to attend school and along with that, I was studying a lot of other things throughout the years that would save Hogwarts and Harry from You-Know-Who, so excuse me for not finding time to study Veela's." She snapped.

Draco ignored her outburst, he knew better than to insult her intelligence. "I have two more months to find my mate and claim her, by marking her, or I die."

Hermione's mouth dropped, her blood going cold. "That can't be." She whispered as fear pulsed through her veins.

"It is, and for the next two months I will be feeling the pain of not having her. Which is why, the more walls I build with you the better off I'll be. I'd rather not get close and fall more in love with you if I know I am going to lose you in the end. That is what I've been dealing with all day. So pardon me if I have come across a bit rude." He growled. "And that pain you felt earlier, that's what I feel every time you tell me no, or are upset or angry with me or wanting to leave me and that's only a fraction of it." He spat, trying to make her understand that this was not easy for him. He wasn't angry at her, he knew he was coming across as such, but all the pain and everything else, he just finally hit boiling point.

Hermione took a moment to let everything sink in. The pain she felt was from him turning her away and it was horrible pain. To imagine him feeling that every day and waiting for her to strike back at him and leave him in the wind, what a horrible burden to have. She instantaneously felt guilty for pushing him and telling him she was leaving. Weather she meant it or not didn't matter she wouldn't do it again.

And he said he'd rather not fall more in love with her, Veela's don't fall in love right away, it's not their instinct, it come later in life from what Hermione understood from rare bits of information she caught. So because he was already so much farther in that stage of being Veela it had to be that much worse and Hermione couldn't imagine what that would be like.

Draco shifted, leaning his back against the wall with his legs stretched. He was in his boxers and a T-shirt like Hermione, they were already matching, and the thought only amused Hermione for a moment. But in all truth she didn't care about the clothes. She crawled over to him, his weary eyes full of hate and anger, softening when he looked up at her face. She climbed onto his lap, straddling him with her arms folded towards her body and her face buried in the crook of his neck, she sobbed.

The last couple days events caught up to her and cracked her open, like an egg falling from the top shelf. Nothing was able to be held in. She was tortured, she was willing to get rid of her memories, she decided to try to be happy, she wanted to fall for Draco, then decided she hated Draco and then decided he wasn't so bad and that she was sorry for causing him pain and then lastly the most painful thing, she as going to be the cause of his death. That was something she could not fathom.

What would the world be like without Draco Malfoy? What would her world be like without him? When his arms wrapped around her body, enveloping her in a layer of warmth and protection, she cried harder. She didn't deserve comfort, she meant to comfort him. The tears just wouldn't stop along with her thoughts, assaulting her brain every second were ten different thoughts at a time. Her mind couldn't think straight and all that was coming out of her were gasping sobs that tore through her whole body.

It felt like ages before Hermione was able to pull herself together long enough to breathe through a hoarse throat. She pulled away, her face red and covered in tears, snot dripping from her nose and shaky breaths exiting from her mouths and bravely looked at Draco. She wiped the snot with the back of her hand and offered a feeble smile. She knew she looked hideous, but the last couple of days that she had, who could blame her.

Draco started at her in wonder, he thought it would have been a lot longer for her to stop crying, she had so much she needed to get out. In case she wasn't done, Draco refused to make the first move and waited for her to do so. When she did she grabbed his face in her hands, and crashed her lips onto his bravely, not stopping when an animalistic growl erupted from Draco's chest.

Hermione was still trembling as she straddled him and she had a couple tears spill out of her eyes, but her kiss was passionate and fierce and full of determination and she clung to Draco's mouth. When she pulled away she looked at Draco and ever so quietly whispered, "Mark me."

Authors Note:

I just learned how to do this so I just wanted to thank everyone for the reviews and everything, this is my first story and it took me a lot of contemplating if I wanted to post it or not. I really appreciate it!

Not that anyone cares but I have been fighting with my boyfriend a lot so I am struggling with writing the next chapter or figuring out where to go from here so be patient I am going to try and get something up tonight.

Lastly, this story will be having a little big of sexual action because, well because it can and I love Dramonie and its an important piece in their relationship anyway.

Thanks again!

Love Charleegirl


	12. Chapter 12

Authors note: I am sorry it took so long you guys! Sometimes life gets in the way, as you can all understand. This chapter was really hard for me to write because I have a hard time even talking about this stuff, so please don't judge too harshly. I wanted to thank everyone who has started to read this and has reviewed, I honestly thought I was going to have no one read it so thank you all so much! Enjoy!

Chapter 12

Draco stopped kissing her and pulled his head as far from hers as possible, as if she were poisonous. His eyes grew wide at the realization of what she just said, and he had to use all his will power not to let his Veela instincts take control. Despite his reaction, Hermione kept kissing him; wrapping her arms around his neck, she let her lips travel to his mouth and onto his neck and to his collar bone, nibbling ever so slightly. Every movement she made sent sparks of fire through his whole body, he could feel every kiss, every caress and every breath from her. His heart was pounding in his hears with want and need as his lips fell back onto her, crushing them with passion; his hands roaming her body.

Draco almost stopped everything again when Hermione grinded herself into him, without realizing she had so, and whispered into his ear, "Please," she kissed his jawline, "Mark me."

Draco's sense of control went out the window as he picked her up bridal style and tossed her onto the bed, placing himself over her body, his mouth beginning to assault her neck. "Hermione," He said between a kiss, "You've asked me, there's no stopping." He gritted out through his teeth, using every ounce of power to pull away so he could see her honey colored eyes.

Hermione's heart was pounding with realization in her chest, this was the most erotic moment in her life, with the most beautiful man she had ever laid eyes on, she could even feel the buzz of electricity between them; something that she wrote off as the bond. However she felt another thing, at the base of her pounding heart, and it was adoration. She suddenly came to see how brave he was for everything he had to go through, regardless if he made unwise decisions. She felt he had a capacity of love beyond anyone she had ever known, with all the sacrifices he made to keep those he loved alive, it was amazing,

Draco's knuckles rubbing against her cheek pulled her out of her train of thought, the feather light touches sending a chill throughout her body and a fluttering sensation in her chest. Hermione had this feeling that she and Draco were meant to be. Not because of the curse, but because of the past. She could recall the secret looks of admiration from him in the hallway, the look of kindness in his eyes towards her even if his expression was hard and cold. There was always something there between them, and that wasn't the Veela bond, because none of that came into play until one because of age. This was real feelings they had for each other throughout the years.

Hermione reached up slowly, her hand gripping the back of his head, pulling his lips towards hers. "I am positive." She whispered against his mouth, her tongue making the first move to their fierce dance for dominance. Draco let out an animalistic growl from deep inside his chest as his Veela instincts went into high gear.

Draco's head went from side to side, getting better angles as he kissed her senselessly. His hands sneaking up underneath her shirt, the feeling of her smooth skin underneath his fingertips made him yearn for more. He lifted the shirt up little by little until he couldn't handle the process and ripped it right off her body.

Hermione jerked in surprise at his rough movement, "Are you alright?" She asked putting a hand to his cheek.

Draco laughed at her concern, "I am more than alright. The Veela part in me wants to take over, sorry. I am trying my best to fight it." He said kissing her lips tenderly.

"Please don't be mad," Hermione started. "But why are you fighting it?" It was typical of her to ruin a perfectly good situation with questions.

Draco let out a trembling sigh, "It's easy for a Veela to lose control and take what's his, especially during the marking ritual. It always hurts the female because we Veela's get very rough the first time. And I don't want to do anything to hurt you."

Hermione smiled, "I trust you."

She lifted her head off the bed to kiss his lips, Draco responded eagerly, this time as just himself, not the Veela part, she put her trust in him and there was no way in Hell he was going to let her down. But her hands slowly lifting up his shirt, proved to make it difficult and Draco couldn't take anymore of her slow movement; he sat up and brought his shirt over his head quickly, tossing it to the floor, to be forgotten.

Hermione's mouth dropped and she stared in shock at his perfectly shaped body. His chest was bare and chiseled to perfection,. His skin was pale, like the rest of him, and he was only to be described as beautiful, like he was some sort of Greek God, and it left Hermione in awe.

Hermione didn't have long to look because before she knew it Draco slowly bent over her, his head by her lower stomach kissing her softly, he then planted another on her hip bone, onto her belly button, underneath her breast, past her breast and finally to her neck where he quickly kissed her mouth, the trail of kisses still burning into her flesh. Her whole body was shaking under his touch, and her breaths were coming out in shallow gasps. The idea that he could do this to her, made him insane.

He quickly unclasped her bra, and stared at her perfectly round breasts, his thumb gently grazing the top of her nipple, it immediately perking to attention. While Draco played with her left breast, his mouth captured her right nipple, his tongue swirling around it and drawing patterns, occasionally sucking.

Hermione grasped the back of his head, fisting her hand in his blonde hair, to make sure his face never moved from her breast. She moaned in his hear as her legs hooked behind his knees, feeling his erection on her. It only scared her for a moment, until Draco grinded into her, all fears forgotten and Hermione was only able to lay there reveling in the feeling, while kissing his neck.

Draco switched over to her other breast, sucking to a painful point, while his hand journeyed down Hermione's body, slowly slipping a hand underneath the boxers she was wearing, and he played with the outside of her lips through her thong, slowly sliding his fingers in a circular motion. Hermione was, unknowingly, thrusting into his hand with very movement, as his strokes became faster, her breathing became harder to control and she felt a tingling sensation in her lower abdomen that was driving her insane with want.

She let her hands wander down to his own boxers, her hand slipping beneath the fabric, gently pulling on the elastic with her petite fingers. Draco quickly grasped her hand and placed it on his member, guiding her as she slowly stroked in him, her hands shaking. The feeling was so strong, so pure in ecstasy that he couldn't help but thrust into her hand, while looking her in the eyes with hunger. He could feel all the pressure building up, he had no desire to give into his body just yet, and the night was still young.

Draco pulled her hand gently away, and sat up on the bed, his eyes fixed on Hermione's while his long slender fingers grabbed the boxers and thong, pulling them down in one swift movement and he had to stop himself from plunging into her for her body was like no others he had seen before. It lay completely bare before him, with a subtle glow that was her complexion. Draco saw she had a freckle on her hip, and he gently kissed it, with a smile on his lips and he worked his kisses down to her core.

Hermione went ridged for a moment, but slowly relaxed as his tongue slid around her, going in and out. She gripped his shoulders tightly, her nails digging into his flesh, as she attempted to cover up her moans, his name every so often passing through her mouth. She was ready for him, she wanted him more than anything, and she needed more friction, more of everything.

Draco could sense her need and he slowly glided his tongue over her folds one last time before he sat up, taking off his boxers; disposing them onto the floor with the other articles of clothing. And there they lay before each other naked, just taking in the beautiful sight of one another. But Hermione's eyes wandered and she looked at his length, a hint of fear in her flickering through her face, he was gifted and she always remembered being told it hurt the first time.

Draco put an arm on each side of her body, bending his head to kiss her slowly and passionately. "I'll go slowly. If you ever want me to stop, tell me and I will. Veela curse be dammed I will not hurt you." He whispered against her mouth, then nibbled on her ear, his hand slowly going back to her folds to make sure she was still slick and ready, whatever he could do not to hurt her. She was ready.

Taking the head of his member he put it by her entrance, sliding it up and down her folds, teasing her. Hermione took a sharp intake of breath at the warmth and she yearned to feel it inside her, as she claimed his lips to hers, her arms wrapping around his neck, her moans in his ear her plea for more. He slowly went in, and she moaned louder, then he retracted himself. He went in a little farther and pulled out and repeatedly did so, until he finally felt her wall and he had no choice but to push through, the tightness of her walls enveloping him, practically suffocating his shaft.

Hermione went rigid and tears fell out of her eyes as she gasped in a mix of pain and pleasure. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

Draco took his thumb and wiped her tears away, "For what love?"

"Being a virgin." She muttered, because of that she basically had ruined their first time, and she was going to be so horrible that he would never want to touch her again.

Draco chuckled, "I don't care about that, and I am honored. It makes the Veela bond so much stronger because you trusted me with this. There is nothing to be sorry for." Leaning down he kissed her lips, and gently played with her hair until she had adjusted to his size, her hips moving first as an indication that she was ready.

Draco slowly pumped into her, letting her adjust to the new movement, but she welcomed it hungrily as she pressed kisses on every part of his skin. Hermione's legs went around waist, begging for him to go deeper, to move a little bit faster, and Draco was much obliged to obey that request. He sped up, his hips making circular motions that caused a panting scream to come from Hermione's throat.

There was a sensation building up in both of them and Hermione wanted desperately for it to end and keep on going at the same time. Draco couldn't control it anymore; he was thrusting in and out of her faster and faster, their skin slapping together, it was only a matter of time. Draco raised himself up on his arms and looked at Hermione's body covered in a light coat of sweat, glistening in the moonlight.

"I have to mark you." He growled, the sensation in him getting tighter and tighter, as he thrust harder into her.

Hermione desperately was trying to keep up with his movement, but the overwhelming tingle in her was confusing her and she wanted to just lay and let it go. Each thrust Draco did hit another spot in her that left her breathless, she couldn't take much more. "Mark me." She whispered.

Draco leaned over her pulse point, feeling his Veela teeth come out, he licked her pulse point. "Don't be afraid, let go." He said to her gently, and with three final hard thrusts Draco came, sinking his teeth into her neck as he felt her shatter around him, her walls contracting and her body confusing as a scream of pleasure ripped through her throat, her nails digging into his back and drawing blood.

Draco drank her blood, feeling it go through his veins, like a fire, bonding them forever. Retracting his teeth from her neck, he thrust into her slowly, having her ride out the rest of her orgasm. When she was done he laid his body on top of hers, feeling her chest rise and fall with rapid breathing. He planted kisses all over her face, tasting the salt from her sweat.

"I love you Hermione." He said, putting his weight on his arm so he could stare into her eyes, his other hand holding her face, he came down to kiss her once last time, before pulling out of her and heading to the bathroom.

Hermione laid there shocked at the sudden emptiness and all the overwhelming emotions in her. Despite it all she could do nothing but lay there content and happy. When she heard the bathroom door open, she turned her head and smiled at Draco, holding out her hand, wanting to feel the closeness from moments earlier. Draco took it gladly and climbed onto the bed sitting beside her. He had a washcloth in his hand and gently cleaned off the blood and semen, and he bent down to kiss her thigh, her legs breaking out into goose bumps from his soft breath.

He laid back, setting the cloth on the night stand for it to disappear. He opened up his arms and Hermione gratefully rolled onto her side, laying her head on his chest and her arm snaking over his torso pulling him closer. "I really love you Hermione." Draco said.

Hermione bent her neck to look into his eyes, "I know."

"You don't understand." He sighed.

"Then explain it to me." She said, kissing his throat.

"You gave me your virginity that makes me love you even more, that you trusted something like that with me, that's without all the Veela stuff. On top of it, when I marked you we came together. Legend says that if that were to ever happen you have loved each other all along, since the moment you met."

Hermione looked slightly confused still.

"Hermione Granger, I was always in love with you."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Hermione woke up the next morning with her legs entangled with Draco's, both of them still naked, only the thin sheet giving them a little more privacy. She snuggled in closer to his chest, not ready to face the morning yet. She smiled happily to herself as she remembered last night and how adamant he was on his love always being there, especially now that a legend had come true. It made her feel like the only girl in the world to have him say things like that to her. She swore that he had talked for an hour about undying love, and she was so tired that she had the hardest time keeping her eyes open.

But despite how tired she still felt, last night had been the most wonderful night of her life, she finally felt complete. She had thought she would regret not waiting until marriage, like she promised her parents long ago. Now it was of no consequence, everything was worth it and Hermione was tempted to tell Draco she loved him, because that's what this feeling must be, but her ability to analyze made her feel she wasn't ready yet. Draco didn't need to say that he understood, his face said it all and he wasn't going to push her into anything. He wanted everything to be natural and perfect.

Despite Hermione's need for sleep, she had to go to the bathroom. She carefully untangled their bodies, one leg and arm at a time, and scooted to the edge of the bed. Once her feet touched the floor and she took the first step, her legs almost gave out as she felt a dull and shooting pain inside of her. She gripped her stomach and tiptoed to the bathroom door, stealing one more glance at Draco before slipping inside. She quickly went to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Even though she was naked she felt a strange sense of confidence in herself, nothing she had ever felt before. It was like her whole body was changed; even though it looked the exact same.

Hermione turned on the faucet and washed her hands and splashed water onto her face. She bent her head to the side, revealing a crescent shaped mark, meaning she now belonged to Draco, and that thought made her smile. She left quickly bathroom quickly, closing the door as quietly as possible so she could join Draco in the warmth of the bed. As she sat down she winced, she felt very uncomfortable, but it went away as soon as she lay down, folding her body back with Draco's like they were a puzzle. Her eyes closed, smiling happily at the silence of the room and she was ready to sleep for a couple more hours, very welcomed hours.

"How are you feeling?" Draco's voice broke through the quiet, making Hermione jump.

"I'm fine." She squeaked, looking up at him.

Draco kissed her nose, and smiled. "Liar."

"I am fine!" She laughed.

"Oh my mistake then, that's why you were holding your stomach, because you feel just fine." He said, sarcastically. "What do you want to do today?"

Hermione snuggled back into his chest, "I want to sleep more."

"And if that's not an option?" He smiled.

Hermione groaned, "I guess I wouldn't mind going outside, back to the rose bushes. I love it there."

"Alright, we can do that. But first you are going to take a bath. Get up." He said moving away from her, and standing up from the bed.

Hermione frowned at the sudden coldness, and looked at the culprit for leaving her cold. "Draco Malfoy, I am not getting out of bed."

"Fine." Draco replied, a mysterious smirk etching on his face. He quickly grabbed her and threw her body over his shoulders. Hermione screeched in protest, trying to wiggle out of his grasp, but before she knew it, Draco was setting her down on the toilet.

Draco turned on the tub, the steam immediately filling the bathroom. As the tub filled he grabbed towels, a potion bottle and a bottle of soap. He set the towels on the counter of the sink, went to dumb the potion into the tub and put the bottle of soap on the floor beside the tub. He glanced at Hermione; she had her elbows on her knees and held her face in her hands with her eyes closed. It was amusing to him how tired she was, she wanted to constantly sleep. But then again, when was the last time she had the opportunity to have a full night's sleep, with all the running around she did with Potter and Weasel.

Draco walked over to her, squatting next to her and wrapping her into a hug. "I love you Hermione."

Her eyes snapped open, "Then let me sleep."

Draco stepped away from her, chuckling, and shut off the water. He climbed into the big tub, lying back with his eyes looking at Hermione's, giving her a knowing look. He was practically begging her to get into the tub with his eyes, and Hermione had to admit that it was rather interesting to see Draco Malfoy sink so low as to stare at her like a lost puppy.

"Fine!" She huffed, and slipped herself into the tub, her back leaning against Draco's chest. It was really quite comfortable, she never thought she would be comfortable standing in front of someone, for a lengthy time naked, and then lay with them in a tub. Yet she felt comfortable and happy, and along with the potions already taking a soothing affect to her, she was in heaven

Draco wrapped his arms around her torso, and rubbed circles on her hips, kissing her head. The electricity flowing between then was overwhelming; it was like nothing Draco had ever experienced, not even when using his magic. It was beautiful to have that person that you knew was your other half, most people could never have this opportunity and Draco was the lucky one, for once in his life, to feel something this strong.

Hermione grabbed one of his hands and brought it to her lips, kissing it, and laying it on her chest, their fingers intertwined. Letting out a sigh Hermione bent her neck to look at Draco. "You lied to me."

"What?"

"You said you would manage without me," Her thumb traced one of his knuckles, "But a Veela will die without their mate. Why did you lie?"

Draco let out a sigh, "I wasn't going to force you to stay. If you were going to be happy without me, then that's what I want."

"Why?" Hermione questioned, not quite satisfied with his reasoning for putting his life on the line.

"I love you. I always will and I have for a long time."

Hermione let that sink in for a moment before word vomit came up, "I love you." She blurted.

Draco's fingers stopped stroking her skin. "Don't." He warned. "Don't make yourself say or feel things that aren't there."

Hermione sat up, turning herself around and putting a leg on each side of his hips, She leaned up, positioning herself farther onto his lap, and kissed him gently. "It's real." And she meant it, for reasons she couldn't explain and for some that she could. This guy who spent so much time hurting her was now the only one who could heal her.

Draco brought his hand up to cup her cheek, and kissed her ever so softly. "I love you." He breathed against her mouth.

Hermione smiled against his lips and pulled back, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, and staring into his eyes. He looked awful, still beautiful, but awful. His eyes had dark circle around them, and his cheeks were sunken in, creating high cheekbones. He looked almost ill, but there was still this fire to his face. His silver eyes, with hints of blue were stunning, and his facial features were so defined, every angle matched the length of his face. He has such a strong face, but it didn't seem as evil as it once did; now it was soft and kind. But looking so ill, it worried her.

"Draco?"

"yes, love?"

"Why do you look so sick?" She asked, collapsing her body against his, in a hug, her cheek resting on his shoulders.

"I suppose the stress of being a Death Eater and a Veela will do that to someone. Why?"

'It just scares me."

"You scare me, you are so thin now, it makes me worry, but I am going to fix that." He kissed her temple.

Draco brought himself out of the tub and reached for the bottle of soap to begin washing her hair. Putting a decent amount in the palm of his hand he began to wash her hair. His fingers gently massaged her head, letting the foam build up in her hair. When he was done he, ever so softly, laid her back, supporting her head with his hand and rinsed all the soap out. When he was done, he sat her up and went to wrap his towel around his waist, and open up hers for Hermione to step into. Draco offered her a smile as he took her hand to lead her out of the bathroom and into the closet.

Hermione quickly dried off her body and decided she would wear jeans with a red sweater today. She slipped them on, no longer surprised that they were a perfect fit. After she was dressed she slipped on her flats and turned around to find Draco staring at her, as she took the towel and scrunched her hair to dry and form curls.

Hermione had to stifle a laugh looking at him. Draco had decided to pick a pair of black slacks and dress shoes for the lower half of his body. His upper half was wearing a white dress shirt, which was not only buttoned completely, but also tucked in. Hermione laid her towel down on a shelf and walked over to him, grabbing his shirt and pulling it out from his pants. Hermione rolled up his sleeves and undid the top three buttons so it wasn't around his neck, and it gave him a more relaxed feel.

"There "Hermione smiled, going on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss. She turned around to grab her towel, to finish drying her hair, but her mouth fell open when she saw that it was gone.

Draco laughed, "That is karma at its finest. I don't get to look the way I normally do, neither do you and your mass of hair."

Hermione shot him a glare, "That is not karma, it's this thing called magic." And she walked out of the closest, scrunching her hair with her hands.

Draco followed after her, grasping her hand and taking them out the door. They traveled the familiar hallway and down the spiral staircase and through the door of Draco's personal room. The cool breeze was welcome to Hermione, and she liked when Draco released her hand to throw his arm over her shoulder and bring her into his chest. She felt safe.

They walked in silence for a while, eventually making it to the place where they had their picnic, but Draco didn't stop like Hermione thought he would, he instead took her through another passage. They made right turns, left turns, no turns over and over again until Draco brought her into another clearing.

This clearing was bigger than the other one, the grass even seemed greener. But that wasn't the only thing that got Hermione's attention. In the center was a large stone fountain, with a large circular base; then sprouting out of the water was three other bases, stacked on top of each other, spewing water. Hermione eagerly went over and say on the base of the fountain, rolling up her sleeves to put her hand in the water. Hermione loved the feeling of water, there was nothing like it.

Draco joined her, smiling at her happiness. He needed to talk to her though, of important matters. "Hermione, I have to tell you something. You weren't supposed to still be here."

Hermione looked up at his eyes sadly, "I'm sorry. Is it a bad thing?"

"No!" Draco protested, "Not to me at least, but there is something you should know." Draco took a deep breath, "The Dark Lord is coming to the Manor."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Hermione had been in shock, and she found herself pacing for the last ten minutes, contemplating ways to escape, ways to inform Harry and Ron so they could kill him once and for all. Everyone would be free then, muggles, muggle borns, and Draco. The way would be over. Everything could be over, but how? She could apparate to the multiple places they had talked about before and see if she could catch them in time to warn them, and if not then she could join the search for the Horcrux's.

"Hermione?" Draco questioned cautiously. Hermione stopped pacing and her eyes locked onto his. When she didn't burst into tears or scream Draco decided to continue speaking. "Along with him coming, you are supposed to come to the meeting with us."

Hermione's face was a mix of anger and shock, like she had just been trapped or betrayed. "Why?" She whispered, wrapping her arms around her chest for comfort.

"You never would have been a part of this but last night you chose me, and my mother knows you did because I didn't go to her like I said I would once I left the apartment. She had to immediately inform the Dark Lord, so he would know what they we are dealing with, and he wants to meet you, to swear you to secrecy. None of us saw it coming."

"When did you find out?"

"Gilly, the house Elf told me while you were in the bathroom."

"He's going to kill me, kill us."

"I won't let him." Draco said in a dangerous tone.

"It doesn't matter what you want or think you can do. Only Harry can beat him. Didn't you hear the prophecy? Neither can live while the other survives, they were made to kill each other. You are out of you mind to think you could even try."

"I didn't say I would kill him. I would protect you and get you out before anything happened."

Hermione looked into his silver eyes, "I shouldn't have stayed." For the first time regret filled her, her life was on the line once again because she chose Draco, because she was childish enough to think everything would be okay if they were together, but she was wrong. She had betrayed her friends, Dumbledore and her family even. All for a Veela bond.

"Don't say that Hermione," Draco sad sadly, standing up and walking to her. "Don't you fucking say that." His voice cracked as tears filled his eyes. He attempted to put his hand to her cheek, but she jerked away.

"Take me back. Please." She said, looking away from his eyes. Draco waited a moment, to see if there was anything else she wanted to say. When the silence remained Draco placed a hand on her shoulder and aparated them back to his bedroom.

As soon as Hermione's feet landed on the floor her resolve fell apart. She collapsed to her knees, a hand on each side of her head, and released a blood curdling scream, that even scared Draco. She rocked back and forth crying. She cried for everything. She cried because she felt betrayed, she cried because she had just escaped death only a few days prior only to be put back in the presence of death itself. She and Draco would die, she was going to be leaving everyone she loved behind, and there was no hope now. It was all lost.

"Hermione?" Draco bent next to her, in an attempt to comfort.

"Don't touch me!" She screeched, jerking away. "I trusted you! How could you let this happen?"

"I didn't know Hermione!" He yelled back at her.

"Bring me back to the apartment," She whispered. "I'll be safe there."

"No," Draco quickly said. "You are safe with me."

She continued crying, eventually going from her knees to her side on the floor, holding herself as the tears stained her face. She was angry and frustrated. It was always like this, when things started to get good they all fell apart. They found the sword to destroy the Horcrux's they got brought here. Bill and Fluer's wedding, then it got raided by Death Eaters. Nothing was ever simple.

Hermione couldn't remember how she got here in life, when was it decided that she would be a part of a big war, and helping the chosen one no less. How did she get mixed up with Draco? But wouldn't have it happened anyway? She would have still been a muggle born, the war would have still happened regardless and Draco would still be a Veela, so they would be made for each other. Nothing would have changed really if she hadn't met Harry.

She suddenly felt terribly, she had so many emotions inside of her, and she could only take it out on the closest person to her. She didn't do feelings per say, she was intellectual and not meant to deal with emotions, at least ones like these; and she didn't know how to handle it. Draco had become her target, and as much as she wanted to control it she couldn't. That thought only made her cry harder.

Draco brought a hand to her side, relieved when she didn't pull away. "Hermione please talk to me, let me help you, let me comfort you. Please." It was quiet and he got no response. He sighed, she wasn't even blinking, the tears were just falling of her eyes with occasional sob sounds.

As much as Hermione wanted to talk, and say sorry and be comforted, the last seven years of her life were crashing around her, rendering her speechless. She had gone through so much, risked her life so many times for the greater good, and all of that seemed as though it were for nothing now, because she didn't know if she was going to be alive or dead by the end of the night, if she would get to help finish the war. The sudden wave of depression was threatening to swallow her completely, and bring her into the deep abyss.

Draco brushed the hair out of her face, "Please don't go." He scooped her up in his arms, kissing the top of her head. "I need you." He cried into her neck, bringing her to the bed. He laid her down and he lay right beside her, his head falling onto her chest and his hands hanging onto her petite frame as his own tears came out.

Hermione briefly registered what was happening, she felt the weight and grasp on her body, and the tremors that ran through him. She placed her hand on his head, stroking his hair to comfort him. She wasn't quite sure why only certain parts of her responded, why she couldn't move her whole body, or why speech wasn't coming to her. It felt strange, like she was outside of her body and watching, but not in any type of control.

Draco kissed her collarbone, surprised she didn't jerk away. "Are you hungry? Do you want anything, is there anything I can do?" He whispered.

Hermione looked at him," No."

"She speaks." He smiled into her skin, taking a deep inhale of her scent. A mix of lavender and strawberries, Draco's favorite.

"When will he arrive?" She whispered.

Draco sat up, letting go of her body and slid off the bed to stand. "Soon. You'll have to dress like a Malfoy. All black and sophisticated, my mother will do the same and she's willing to help you if you like, or all the things you need are in the bathroom."

"I can get ready on my own."

"Hermione, I honestly had no idea any of this would happen."

Hermione glared at Draco, "Can you just stop talking, you aren't helping anything."

"Oh and being a hallow shell like you were ten seconds ago did wonders for the situation?" He snapped. "Why can't you believe me when I tell you that you are safe? He ensured your safety, remember?"

"From other people, not himself! And you've given me no reason to trust you!" She screamed, almost apologizing when she saw Draco flinch at her words.

Draco grabbed her arm and yanked her from the bed, so she was standing in front of him. "I have given you every fucking reason to trust me!"

Hermione felt her anger bubble up in her chest, only getting worse after he grabbed her. "I hate you. I hate this house, I regret you touching me and marking me. I hate everything about you Draco Malfoy. I wish we never met, and then none of this would have happened."

Draco's grip on Hermione's arm loosened, and a mix of emotions touched his face. They were mates how could she say something like that? Wasn't it impossible to hate each other after you've become one? "You don't mean it." His voice breaking, as his hand let go of her arm and he slumped to the floor, by her feet. "Tell me you don't mean it."

Hermione knew she didn't mean it, she didn't even know why she said it, and she felt his pain. His agony, his apologies, everything he was feeling at that moment radiated off and onto her. She had no reason as to why she said all those horrible things, none at all, she just wanted to hurt someone like she was hurting, to get her feelings across, and she had now. Hermione's eyes welled up with new tears as she sat right next to Draco, leaning her head against the back of the bed.

She closed her eyes and took a shaky breath. "No, I don't mean it."

"Don't say shit like that," Draco said, reaching over and pulling her into a hug. "It scares me when you say shit like that."

Immediately Hermione felt like she was filled with complete calmness and warm, as if Voldemort wasn't even coming to the Manor. She knew she was dramatic, she knew she was in the wrong and she knew that there was no excuse for her behavior, she wasn't even sure where it came from, but it was there. Years of stuffing emotions, and then lack sleep and all the complications of the past week, she had finally exploded and had no one else to take it out on but Draco. But as soon as he pulled her into a hug all those feelings when away, and instead she found peace.

"I'm sorry."

"Are you going to blow up at me every time things get stressful?" Draco asked

"Are you going to be this loving every time I blow up at you?"

"Yes." He responded quickly.

Hermione smiled, "Then there is your answer."

Draco chuckled softy, with one arm around her waist and the other grabbing her head he pulled her in closer. "I love you."

"I don't think you should." She said pulling away to look at him. "I have been too rude and harsh with you. For the 'brightest witch of my age' you would think that I would see reason."

"You are under a lot of stress." He kissed her mouth gently. "I'll always forgive you and I will always love you. But we need to get ready, love. Make-up and everything is in the bathroom, are you sure you don't want my mothers help?"

Hermione took a deep calming breath, "Same as before no, I can get myself together. You have make-up?"

"Well since we haven't gotten your wand, I decided to have someone go fetch make up that you can use. It is what you use right? You wear make-up?"

"I'm surprised you know what it is, and yes I wear make-up, just very little and I normally have a wand to put it on so this should be interesting." She chuckled.

"You'll look fine. We don't have a lot of time, go and get ready. I'll be waiting for you." He kissed her forehead and turned away, walking towards his closet.

Hermione walked to the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Just as she was told all types of make-up were on the counter. Different eye shadows, eyeliners and lipstick. It seemed strange that the Malfoy's would decide to deal with something so common as make-up in their home. It was amusing how Muggle it seemed.

Hermione made a decision, she would look the part, and she would play the part because it could save them and no questions would be asked. But first it was getting the make-up in place. Grabbing the lightest foundation that she could get away with, she put an ample amount on her fingers and started spreading it on her face, covering up every single flaw until there was nothing to pick that was wrong with her. There must have been some type of magic in the make-up because with normal make-up the flaws were still easy to pick out.

Next she put on eyeliner; it took many tries for her to get it right. She had seen other people wear such things, but she never actually decided to sport the look. She had the top lids done and decided that she was going to leave it like that and just put mascara on. Picking up a tube of lipstick she opened it up to find a bright pink color, and she laughed putting it back. She opened a couple different ones until she came across a deep red lipstick. It was daring, and Malfoy's were always daring. Carefully putting it on, getting each area of her lips perfectly, she analyzed herself in the mirror.

She had never looked so beautiful and flawless, her skin was of a perfect honey- colored complexion, and although the rest of the make-up was rather natural, the lipstick made her whole face stand out. She looked elegant and refined. Her hair wasn't even a problem because today it was the perfect amount of curls and volume, and nothing needed to be done.

Turning to the back of the door, where the garment bag was hanging on the hook and she slowly unzipped it. A pool of black silk fell out of the bottom and Hermione's jaw dropped, her fingers touching the soft silky material, it was heavy and smooth, like water.

Hermione undressed and took the mass of black fabric off the hook, a little bit excitement hitting her. She unzipped it and slipped on the dress, pulling it over her thighs and hips carefully, until it reached her bust. She zipped up the side, struggling a little as she got closer to the top. Looking in the mirror Hermione couldn't believe her reflection. The top had the style of a corset without strings, but the wires to make her waist look even smaller than what it already was. Reaching the top of her hips was a complicated and beautiful sown on belt; the jewels were silver and were random cut out shapes like pieces of a shattered mirror. After the belt, the dress had more of a flow feel to it, all silk, with a black tulle layer covering it. It was such a dark black, that it had a hint of dark blue come through when light hit the fabric a certain way. It was stunning.

Hermione grabbed the shoe box that was by the sink and pulled out a black pair of shoes, in the style of ballroom dance shoe, and as she slipped them, the strap continued to coil up her leg, and she realized that the strap was actually in the form of a snake wrapped around her calf. It was strange that the shoes had so much intricate detail when they were going to be hidden underneath the silk skirt of her Dress.

Taking one last glance at her reflection in the mirror, making sure everything was in place. She noticed her hair cascaded down her back in a mixture of curls and waves, the honey color contrasting with the dark dress and red lips. She felt confident, and a scary feeling came over her, it was one of power. She felt strong, like she could face anything in this that Voldemort didn't seem so forbidding anymore and that she was a Malfoy.


	15. Chapter 15

Authors note:

I am officially a horrible person! I know its been a long time since I have updated, my hard drive on my laptop went out and between work and everything else time to come to the library is hard to find and then when I get there I only have to hours to write and edit a chapter and for me it takes a lot longer because I work really hard on each and every chapter and I am sure there are going to be a lot of mistakes I am truly sorry, when I get my laptop it will be a lot better. . But those who are sticking to the story thank you! My laptop will be fixed soon and then I will be updating much much quicker! Thank you! Now on with the story!

Chapter 15

Hermione, as elegantly as possible, took a step out of the bathroom and was met by Draco, who was patiently waiting for her on his bed. As soon as she stepped forward he stood up, his mouth agape, he took in her beauty, surprised by the length she had went to give herself the appearance of a Malfoy, to do what was asked. The dress fit her perfectly, complimenting every shape of her body, her hair She was breath taking and if it was even possible he fell in love with her more.

"Will this do?" She asked timidly, looking to the ground while she fidgeted with her hands.

"It goes above and beyond, love." He walked over to her, picking up her small hand, bringing it to his lips to leave a small kiss on her knuckles.

Hermione noticed that he was in all black attire, even his tie was black and his skin and platinum blonde hair stood out dramatically against the dark outfit. However, he still cleaned up nicely, with his hair slicked back like it used to be when they were younger. When he let go of her hand and his silver eyes locked with hers, a smile broke out, and his stressed features were now relaxed, bringing out his handsome face even more.

"Are you ready?" He asked

"As I'll ever be," She replied, lifting her head up and smiling.

Taking her hand and placing it in the crook of his arm, he led them out the door. They went to the right, instead of the left like they had previously done earlier that day, and she was once more going down the hall she had come up only a couple days ago, it felt like a lifetime ago. They came to the living space, the couches still looking brand new as if they had only been used once long ago or not at all, and all the portraits in the golden frames whispering slightly at the couple walking through. She paid no attention, just continued on.

Coming to the bottom of the staircase, Hermione took a shaky step, gripping a chunk of the skirt and lifting it scared she would fall otherwise. Draco had such grace and poise however that Hermione was certain she wouldn't fall, nor would he let her. They took each step on at a time with complete and utter grace she had surprised herself, and she only stuttered once she reached the very last step and her eyes narrowed on the place where she had been tortured not so long ago.

Draco caught on to her breathing change, as he watched the memories fill her eyes and her face become distant like she had been transported back to that time. He removed her hand from his arm so he could place it on the small of her back, pulling her closer into his side. "It's alright, you are safe." He whispered into her ear.

Hermione let out a stiff not and a shaky breath, continuing to look around the room. Off to the right side of the staircase, in front of the fireplace, was a long rectangular black table. It had twenty-one chairs around it, ten on each side and one at the very head of the table, and it was easy to guess whom it was for. Her eyes fell onto the couple mirroring her by the fire place. Lucious and Narcissa Malfoy, and they were seeming to have an intense conversation, which stopped abruptly when Draco cleared his throat, making them aware of their presence.

Their heads snapped in unison towards them. Narcissa stood up straighter offering a tight smile, while Lucious's eyes drifted over Hermione's body making her feel naked, and as much as she tried to stare back at him, she had to look away. "It'll do." He drawled.

"Lucious!"Narcissa hissed, grabbing his right shoulder firmly in her well-manicured hand.

Hermione clung onto the courage she had felt when she had seen her appearance for the first time after getting ready. "It's alright. Some people don't know when it is an opportune moment to speak and when prudent silence is wise."

Lucious's face twisted into fury as he took an angry step towards her, "You dare speak to me like that in my own home, Mudblood."

Before Hermione had a chance to respond, Draco grabbed her and brought her behind him, his wand out to his father before anyone could blink or protest. "Remember what I said father." Draco muttered, an evil smirk filling his features as his eyes shown with anger. "As you know Malfoy's keep their word, and I have no intention of not keeping mine. Understand?"

There was an obvious threat in the air of both parties and Hermione didn't know what to think about it. They both looked ready to kill. But the wide pleading eyes of Narcissa, as she looked back and forth between her and Draco, told her she needed to do something, she had to intervene. Taking a couple steps, the click of her heels echoing in to open room were the only noise that broke through the silence, she placed her hand softly on Draco's shoulder and immediately his wand fell to the floor, and he turned to embrace Hermione.

He put his neck in the crook of hers and took a deep breath calming down with one inhale, as his hands spread out wide over her tiny frame. Now that Draco knew she was safe, he had to stop his Veela instinct from completely taking over and rubbing his body against hers, or he would have to ravish her on the cold floor at once.

"I'm sorry, I lost control." He murmured.

Hermione pulled back and looked at him sternly in the eyes. "It is not me you should be apologizing to."

Draco looked confused, but when Hermione looked past his shoulders he followed her gaze only for his eyes to land onto Lucious. In Hermione's mind it didn't matter if Draco was scared for Hermione or if Lucious had hurt her, he was still Draco's father, and there was a line of respect that should follow. Still, Draco was shocked and had to hold his mouth shut so it wouldn't drop to the floor. He checked her eyes for any hint of humor, but there was no mirth and she looked at him expectantly waiting for the apology to fall from his lips. He straightened himself up, pulling down his tux, and turned towards his father.

"I apologize for my behavior." He gritted out through his clenched teeth, and bent over, picking up his want before he moved himself to be by Hermione's side.

Lucious looked equally confused, but gave a curt nod in acceptance and remained stiff as ever. Then the awkward silence filled the room, both couples waiting for the other to break the silence, to spark a conversation, to relieve the tension; and Narcissa was that someone.

"I think you look lovely Hermione." She smiled, still stiff, but she was trying.

Hermione mirrored her with a friendlier smile and blushed at her compliment. Narcissa looked amazing. Her pale skin completely flawless and radiant against the black dress she wore. It was skin tight all down her body, complimenting each curve. It was off the shoulders and long sleeved, the fabric not giving any leeway even as it reached down to the floor, with a small train flowing behind her. Her black and white hair was swept to one side in a soft wave over her shoulder, revealing her slender neck and opening up the profile of her face. The face held its own natural beauty, one Hermione felt she could never have, because Hermione had to wear something or do a glamour charm to look nice, Narcissa didn't and she still looked stunning.

Nodding her head in a bowing fashion Hermione said, "Thank you. You look beautiful as well."

Narcissa smiled back at Hermione and was about to speak when the crackling of the fireplace behind her and Lucious drew everyone's attention, showing green flames. Narcissa hurriedly pushed Lucious forward and out of the way as a dark figure walked through the threshold of the fireplace. As soon as the first foot stepped on the hardwood the whole atmosphere shifted and became cold and stiff as no one dared breath. And as soon as Hermione saw Draco, Lucious and Narcissa become tense and stand straighter she followed suit, holding her breath only when her eyes fell onto the face of Lord Voldemort himself.

Hermione had only seen him once before a couple years ago in the Ministry of Magic, and it was only for a brief moment, even if it had been longer nothing could have prepared her for this. As he walked around the table, his tattered robes flowing behind him, Hermione had to force herself to look at him. His skin was grey, as if he were decaying, and it had a rough, opaque texture to it; that was noticeable even without touching him. His face looked worse as it almost appeared scaly, deathly pale, waxy, and was oddly distorted. His eyes sunk far into his head, only having dark scarlet eyes set in slits, like a cats gleaming in the dark. His nose was as flat as a snake, with small incisions for nostrils. His tall and skeleton thin body only made her feel as if he had risen from the dead, in all essence he had of course. Looking at his hands, which held a wand, she noticed that they were unnaturally long. Almost like spider legs. He was horrifying to her.

All of Hermione's confidence went out the window as she stood before him, and she found herself feeling weak, like a bird with a broken wing, beautiful but trapped in the mercy of others. And Voldemort didn't seem as though he would have a lot of mercy to give. Her idea of his lack of mercy only solidified as his eyes locked on hers, a deadly gleam going through them as a smile split into his face, looking oddly out of place.

He took slow, long strides until he reached her, taking her hand in his; the long fingers wrapping around hers easily and is long grotesque nails digging into her palm. She noticed his hands were freeing, and slightly clammy, the thought sending shivers down her spine. "This is her Draco? She is splendid, one would never guess." He whispered in awe.

He was no doubt referring to her blood status, and even though it was meant to be a subtle insult, it sounded like a compliment. His voice was airy and smooth, a slight hint of amusement coloring his tone; it was as if he was friendly. It was no wonder he had followers, he could speak and put you in a trance, make you feel as though you were his one and only friend. Hermione knew better however.

One of his slender fingers reached out and slid from her temple down to her chin, raising it slightly and turning it left to right, as if inspecting for flaws. His lips curled in a vicious smile. "She will do wonders." He kissed her forehead.

It took everything Hermione had in her not to throw up, and it took everything Draco had not to kill Voldemort on the spot. Voldemort took notice of Draco's reaction and was pleasantly surprised, removing his attention from Hermione onto the platinum blonde next to her. "Well done Draco."

The room was silent for only a moment more, when the rest of the Death Eaters came into the room, there were only six others, no way was this all, it it must mean that this was for the head members of the followers and that thought made Hermione's insides shake, as she realized just how serious this meeting was. Every time another dark figure came out of the fireplace Hermione had to force her mouth shut. These were people she had seen walking around in Diagon Alley, and the people she had seen in the wanted papers, people that wanted her dead.

She recognized Thorfinn Rowle, a blonde haired short man, that seemed to be bulky but could easily be mistaken for out of shape, Amycus Carrow; a tall man with black hair, a slender rance and a rather large nose; a look of disgust on his face seemed permanent. Standing next to him was his sister, Alecto Carrow, there was no resemblance, what with her red hair and large forehead, only the crazed eyes drew them together, along with her lanky height. Her eyes fell next on Antonin Dolohov and she had to stifle a shiver, he was an original Death Eater and his messy appearance made it obvious the toll it had taken on him, he wasn't clean shaved and his hair was in every direction possible. What got Hermione the most was this is the Death Eater that tried to attack Ron, Harry and herself at the coffee shop, she remembered they took away his memory of the event after stunning him. When Severus Snape came out of the fireplace it took all she had not to go after him. He was their professor, she had known him all her life and although he seemed questionable she had tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, but she was still in rage, but she did take note that his expression was cool and calm, not crazy like the others, but he had always been that way; hadn't he? Her rage immediately turned to fear as bellatrix Lestrange walked out, her hair in every direction in frizzy curls, and her eyes wide with blood lust.

hermione's body shook slightly, and Draco pulled her in closer to him, placing a quick and soft kiss on her temple, fast enough no one would notice but her. It calmed her only slightly. On the outside she appeared calm, her eyes were bland and her teeth clenched together to set her mouth, not only to stop her from speaking but to also stop her mouth from quivering.

'Play the part' She told herself, 'things are at stake.

When Lord Voldemort offered a hand to her she smiled up at him graciously and took it, with a slight bow of the head. He guided her to the table, sitting her down to the left of the head chair. With one head nod he indicated for everyone else to sit. Malfoy's had a certain spot and it pained Draco to not be right next to her. Instead he was on Voldemort's right, then his mother followed by his father. it eased him only a little that he was right across from her.

Bellatrix, who could normally be found on voldemort's left, was enraged when Hermione took the seat. She walked over though, her face calm and sat right down next to her, taking great pleasure at Hermione's suddenly stiff posture. "You look all new again," She purred in her ear.

Hermione forced herself not to shiver and turned her head towards Bellatrix, smiling, "Thank you."

Bellatrix looked taken aback, her mouth going slack before she recovered and stood up quickly, gaining everyone's attentions. "You filthy Mudblood!" She towered over her, but Hermione refused to flinch despite the fear that ran through her veins.

Hermione didn't have enough time to react, before she knew it Draco had jumped across the table, with Bellatrix's throat in his long hand. He was ready to kill, Hermione knew it. she went to go stop him, but Voldemort's cold fingers wrapped around her wrist holding her in place as he directed everyone to watch with a nod of his head.

"Do not call her that!" he growled, slamming her head into the hard wooden floor.

"Draco," She choked, "we are family how can you side with a Mudblood?"

"Her name is hermione!" He yelled, his face only inches from hers, teeth bared as if he was ready to rip out her throat. "And I will always choose her side!"

Voldemort let go of Hermione's wrist and gave her a head nod, indicating she was to try and control the scene. Hermione walked towards Draco, placing a soft hand on his back, she felt the tension leave his body, as he slowly got up and wrapped himself around her, in a tight vice like hug. His mouth kissed the crook of her neck as his teeth sank into her flesh, immediately shocking her and she had to try not to pull away or scream in pleasure.

After Draco took a large gulp, he retracted his teeth and stepped back, he could feel his inner Veela humming, knowing she was safe. The more time they spent together the stronger his instincts were becoming, the more he was intuned with her. He looked into her eyes, and was startled when he saw tears, he should have warned her about what he was going to do, but it happened so fast, and she looked so shake up now. He had to explain more of this Veela curse to her. Kissing her forehead he led her back to her chair and placed her down, pushing her in. Giving Voldemort an apologetic nod he went and sat at his own chair.

"All of you witnessed that, correct?" The room gave a collective nod as Bellatrix peeled herself off the floor, head hung low in shame, and made her way back to her chair. "That my dear friends, is what happens when you interfere with a Veela's mate. I expect all of you to respect our dear Hermione," she shivered at the use of her name, "despite her blood status, and remember that Draco here is capable to kill each and every one of you if you decide to do otherwise."

The room was silent for a heartbeat before Voldemort decided to continue. "On more important matters I want to share something with all of you. I have heard of a dark magic that keeps one alive, called a Horcrux."

Hermione's gaze went straight from the table to Voldemort, despite her attempts to resist. he noticed her sudden movement and eyes her carefully. "Do you know what I am referring to?" He asked her.

She nodded.

"Explain it." He demanded. She felt as though it were a trick, but he gave her an approving nod and she took a deep breath.

"Its a dark magical object used to attain immortality. It requires one to kill another, which then rips the soul apart. After the murder, a spell is cast to infuse part of the ripped soul into an object, which becomes a Horcrux. Both inanimate objects and living organisms have been used as Horcruxes." Hermione took a pause and decided to leave out the information she learned about the soul becoming unstable after a series of splitting it. "They are extremely difficult to destroy, they cannot be destroyed by conventional means such as smashing, breaking or even burning. to be destroyed, a Horcrux must suffer damage so severe that repair through magical means would be impossible. Very few spells or magical objects are enough to achieve this. A Horcrux can be magically undone, however," she stole a glance at Voldemort. "if the creator goes through a process of deep remorse for the murder he committed to create the Horcrux."

The room remained quiet for a moment, and Voldemort knew his suspicion had been proved just now. They knew what Horcruxes were and no doubt knew how to destroy them. He gave hermione a fake smile, "You really are the brightest witch of your age, what she said is true" he said, turning his attention back to the group. "And Harry Potter has discovered such things. He intends to create a Horcrux himself, to maintain immortality and try to defeat me."

Hermione wanted to scream at him, call him a liar and show everyone the truth. that he lost his humanity killing so many people just to make Horcruxes, she wanted to reveal what kind of man he really was, not one to be followed, just a liar trying to get control of power that was never meant to be his.

"Now, as you know, I am kind and would wish to rescue the world from such evil. They believe Harry Potter is the chosen one, that he is to lead them to redemption, but it is our job to show them the truth, and rid the world of such evil, along with those of dirty blood. We have a responsibility, which is why it is important that we capture Harry and Destroy him."

Hermione had to hold back her urge to cry, as the idea of Harry dying ripped a hole in her heart. How could the wizarding world, one she loved and was amazed by, turn to be such evil? How could people blindly follow this man, he had no heart and no care in the world for anyone aside from himself, he was a disgrace to both the wizarding world and mankind.

"My Lord," Snape's voice rang through the silence. "If it does not touble you, I have an option that would prove to be a successful plan."

"Severus, my old friend, you've not failed me thus far." he nodded his consent. Hermione was disgusted how everyone in this room waited for him to give his approval as if he were their parent.

"Someone has informed me that he would be interested in finding Miss. Granger if she were still alive. Although this makes no sense, seeing as he is in hiding and no ones had contact with him, they had a point. Potter would no doubt come out from hiding if he knew she was within his reach. I propose she returns to Hogwarts with Draco, it will cause quite a stir and he will no doubt hear about it."

Voldemort took this into careful consideration, "I leave you in charge of it Severus. Don't disappoint me."

Snape gave a quick nod, "Thank you my Lord."

"Hermione, do you have any idea of Harry's whereabouts?" Voldemort asked. "Surely someone such as yourself would hate to have evil take over."

Hermione's hands were shaking with anger as she lifted her chin to him. "We discussed locations, but since I remained here I do not know where they went." Clearing her throat she continued. "everything I know is a lie regardless. We thought you had Horcruxes, thats what we were after. I was wrong." She turned her head in mock shame. "I believed Harry when he said such accusations, although it was without evidence. We found objects, which I assumed to be yours, but they must be what Harry is going to use to make Horcruxes and make an attempt at your downfall." Hermione felt oddly satisfied at the double meaning of her worlds. She feigned innocence to the group, while secretly telling Voldemort that Harry had the Horcruxes, and she could feel his sense of panic as she mentioned the word downfall.

Sitting up straighter than before, Voldemort spoke, "There is no need to worry about that. Harry Potters end will come soon. Now there is another matter I would like to discuss. Hermione is now joining our ranks."

There were protests across the table, people saying Mudblood this and Mudblood that, and Hermione looked across the table at Draco and saw his eyes wide with disbelief. Had he really thought so little of her as to think she couldn't gain the trust of the following members. It was perfect now, she would go back to Hogwarts, have regular meeting with Death eaters and then switch that information with members of Dumbledores army. It was all going to fall into place and she felt rather proud of herself.

"Seeing as her union with Draco is inevitable-"

"we could just kill them both," Amycus Carrow muttered under his breath.

In no time at all Voldemort whipped out his wand and yelled crucio towards the skinny man. His screams echoed through the space and his body twitched on the floor as his bones broke, something Hermione was now too familiar with.

"Do not speak again out of turn." Voldemort hissed, tucking his wand away.

"Yes, my Lord." He replied, struggling to get up from his spot and into his chair.

"As I was saying, the union is inevitable, I do not wish to end the malfoy line as they are a great asset to me, therefore she must join us."

The calm demeanor Voldemort had was unnerving, but it quickly changed as he stun Draco and grabbed hermione roughly by the arm and threw her upon the long black table. She tried squirming away as fear gripped her but immediately the Death Eaters grabbed her limbs and held her in place.

Voldemort appeared on her left side, his wand digging into her forearm and she heard him mutter the Protean Charm, she was familiar with it from when she used it on the coins for Dumbledores army. And the familiar warmth the coins gave, was now on her arm but slowly turned warmer and warmer until she was being burned and screaming. She tried to pull her arm away as tears left her eyes.

"No please, I'll do anything." She screamed as the realization hit her. She was becoming a Death Eater.

Voldemort kept saying the Charm over and over again and the pain got worse. The level of heat was scorching on her arm, and it felt as though someone were cutting on top of the burn. Her cries became weaker and weaker as she tried to fight through the pain. She started moving less and less and the tears stopped flowing. Instead she looked into the cold slits of Voldemorts eyes as he bent down kissing her cheek. He paused a moment by her ear.

"You belong to me now."


	16. Chapter 16

Authors note:

This chapter is kind of a filler but I felt like it needed to happen and I also felt guilty when I took so long to update so sorry about that still! Don't worry things will get crazy again soon! Thanks!

Chapter 16

The week was almost up, and the last couple of days had gone by quickly with few words spoken between Draco and Hermione. He knew she was contemplating everything that had happened, between Bellatrix and getting the Dark Mark it was no wonder she was silent and trapped inside her head. But that did not stop Draco from feeling terrified. He knew she hardly ate. Food would be placed in front of her and she'd take a bite or two in order to not have to be talked to about it. She didn't smile, she didn't enjoy the rose garden anymore and every now and again when she was in a distant thought her hand would rub her forearm where the word Mudblood was carved in and now the Dark Mark covering it.

After it happened Draco studied her arm and he could still see the word underneath the skull and snake. Looking at it he couldn't help but be disgusted and beat himself up. He didn't do his job. He was supposed to protect her and he wasn't prepared like he should have been. He should have lied and said he sent her away, but he would have been found out quickly when he didn't wind up dead and then everyone's lives would be in danger.

What concerned him the most was that whenever they spoke, just simple good mornings and him asking the occasional question that required a one word answer, she wouldn't even look at him and her voice was often void of emotion. The last couple of days she hadn't looked at him at all for that matter, and being a Veela mate that was concerning; almost painful. However, all Draco could do was give her the space she needed. He's sleep on a separate bed like he did the first night, and made sure she knew where everything was so she wouldn't have to ask and then she could gain back some independence and control like she was used to having.

Yet Hermione didn't leave the room unless Draco took her to the rose garden. Instead she would sit on the window seat and read everything away. But Draco noticed she was slowly not reading as fast as she could, until today when he noticed she had stopped reading all together. She was just staring at the book in her hands and not even flipping the pages to pretend like she was reading. It was evident she was completely lost in thought and misery.

Draco decided he had a choice, he could let her continue to do this to herself or he could try and pull her out of it. Draco thought he would let her do her thing, but the Veela part of him, and the part that loved her; decided on the latter. Draco got up from sitting on the bed and walked over to her. She didn't even look up a t him, there was no movement coming from her, he could hardly detect her breathing. He reached and out a hand on her shoulder, shuddering slightly; as it was the only time they had touched in days, and his Veela hummed to life.

Hermione was still in a trance and made no move to look at him and instead of waiting for her to snap out of it he took the book out of her hand and dropped it to the floor. Scooping her up into his arms he sat on the window seat with her in his lap, as he leaned against the window for support, not that he needed it being a Veela and all.

"You've been melancholy, I don't pretend to know why because I do know why. But don't shut me out." Draco said simply, rubbing her arms. Hermione let her body relax against him but never made a move to look up at his face, her eyes on his chest while he spoke, not wanting to look at his face like she was nervous of what she would see. Sighing Draco continued. "Talking to me will help, focusing on the good; as little of it as there seems to be, will help. Letting me in will help."

Hermione's eyes snapped up at him, the first time she's decided to look at him. "I don't wish for your help." She made a move to get away from him but Draco held her firmly in place. "What are you playing at Draco?"

He gave her a cheeky grin, not understanding that she really was growing frustrated. "I don't want to let you go."

Hermione let out a large huff. "Listen here Draco, you don't get to ignore me for days and then waltz over here expecting to pick up where we left off."

"Hermione what are you talking about?"

She ripped herself from his arms and stood facing him, her index finger pointing at him sharply. "You looked at me with disgust when you saw my Dark Mark. You didn't comfort me or anything, you just judged me!"

"I wouldn't judge you." Draco said coldly standing up and towering above her. "Yes I am disgusted that I let that happen to you! I don't know what to do with someone I love yet, so I reacted the way I did! All I know is that it doesn't belong on your beautiful skin and because of me it's now there."

"So ignoring me proved to be a better option?" Hermione growled.

"I did not ignore you. I gave you space, which seemed like a good idea at the time."

Hermione glared at him, eyeing him carefully. "So you still love me?"

"I never stopped. No scar or Dark Mark is going to change that." Draco released a heavy sigh as he noticed her eyes begin to water." Tell me what's really bothering you."

Hermione lifted her head defiantly, she didn't need anyone she had it under control. "It is none of your business."

"You are my business. Stop being so argumentative and talk to me."

Hermione growled and pushed past him to look out the window. She tried desperately to hold onto her anger and stop her lips from trembling but it was of no use, tears still filled her eyes. She wasn't use to this, not having control, not being in charge and constantly feeling so weak and vulnerable. It changed how she looked at herself entirely. "I really don't want to talk about it."

"I don't want us to keep going on like this. Spill."

She released a shaky breath. "I feel everything I fought for I've betrayed. I am not there to help Ron or harry and I am worried on how they are faring without me. I get to go back to school, which I am excited about, but they have been robbed of that change and I feel guilty. I am now a Death Eater and the mate of a Death Eater, when all of my friends and those at school find out they'll think I've betrayed them and I am not like that. I am loyal and to have them think otherwise is going to anger me and hurt me." At this point Hermione lost the battle and her eyes spilled tears, but she continued. "I have never felt so lost and confused in my life. And you, I thought you changed your mind about me. That I, being a Mudblood, was not worthy enough to have the Dark Mark. It's foolish of me to think that way but I haven't been able to think clearly since I have stepped in this house."

With a heavy sigh she turned and faced Draco. He looked angry, his eyes cold for a moment before understanding and warmth filled them again. "Understand something. Never call yourself a Mudblood, you are not that; your blood is the same as mine. Also, you are not a Death Eater, the Dark Mark does not make you one, it does not define you."

"I missed you." Hermione whispered, reaching a hand out for him to take. Draco extended a long arm instead, inviting her into his chest, which she rushed to quickly. Her arms squeezing around him, a few more tears slipping down her face as she took in his scent.

The jolt of electricity almost made him let go, but he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. "I missed you too. I am sorry you felt so confused. I should have talked to you about it."

"It's alright, it's this thing we muggle bourns call miscommunication."

"Ah, it appears we have that in the Wizarding World too." Draco said, pulling away and kissing her nose.

"You aren't upset with me?" Hermione asked shyly.

"Nothing to be upset with." Draco replied simply, shrugging his shoulders.

"What's going to happen now?" Hermione asked.

"Well," Draco started, rubbing her arms. "Monday we return to school. We have four days left to relax so I say we take advantage of it because after that everything changes."

"Right." She breathed. "Draco there is something else."

"What's that?" He asked, pulling her to the window seat so they could sit closely together.

"It's about the meeting. Voldemort lied. Harry is after the Horcruxes not making them, what I said is true. We are onto Voldemort, we were destroying them and he made seven, which means he split is soul seven times, he is darker than what anyone could have imagined."

Draco let out a sigh, "What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing, I needed to get it off my chest that I knew the truth. When we return to school though, I will be looking for them and I won't let you stop me." She turned to look out the window, the probability of there being a Horcrux in the school was slim to none but she would try her best to dig and see if she could find out where one could be.

"I won't stop you and I will help you in any way I can. We are in this together."

Hermione smiled at him as a thought came into her mind. "Speaking of together, I know completely off topic, but it's about this Veela thing." She said gesturing between them. "You have no books in here about it so I have some questions. This Veela curse, could I leave you now since we mated?"

Draco's heart pounded in his chest painfully and it took all his will power not to let it show on his face, but Hermione didn't notice as she rattled on. " I mean I technically 'belong' to you, so you won't have to worry about finding me and dying from being alone since you have claimed me so I could live on my own correct? And do you have any Veela powers or anything? I mean apart from being ungodly handsome, what makes you a Veela?"

Draco smirked. "You think I am handsome?"

Hermione blushed. "Honestly is that all you got out of this conversation?"

Draco stood and offered a hand, which she greatly took, and led her to the door and to the left towards the familiar spiral staircase. Instead of going down like they normally did to get to the gardens, Draco led her up. They went quite a ways and she saw another opening that held a hallway but they didn't stop there and continued to walk up until they reached the very top of the staircase and a golden door that stopped them from going any further. The only light source were the little candles that were in the wall, it made the space seem rather small.

Draco put his hand on the door and took a deep breath. "quidvis esse apertum locus."

The door made a large click and swung open, air coming through the door, blowing at the two and making their hair a mess. Hermione looked at Draco curiously. "What did you just say?"

"I commanded it to open." He said, grasping Hermiones hand again. "I'll teach it to you and you can access it any time you want." He said stepping into the room and dragging Hermione behind him.

Hermione's mouth dropped upon entering. Inside was a large room, with bookshelves for walls that liked the circular walls from floor to the ceiling. The bookshelves were black and on the far end of the room Hermione could see a silver ladder. The floors were normal hardwood and the room was cozy with a large white plush rug in the center. There was a black couch on the rug, and four black plush chairs; two on each side of the couch, behind the couch, on each side, were tall candle stick holders for light and each of the chairs had one behind them. Hermione spun around several times to take in the vast room then turned to Draco smiling.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it!" she squealing wrapping her arms around him and giving him a quick kiss. Then she ran to a book shelf letting her fingers go gently across the spine of each book.

"I know what you will be doing for the next four days, " Draco chuckled and laughed when she gave him a look that confirmed his notion.

"We don't have to worry about your mother or father showing up do we?"

"No," Draco laughed. "This side of the manor belongs to me. I own it, design it and am in charge of it, I have been since I was little as practice for the whole thing. Now it belongs to you too." He said, pulling out his wand and starting a fire.

Hermione looked at him and smiled, "I will be happy with just the library."

"If you like this one you should see the one downstairs."

"You have two?" She gasped. "What kind of books could you possibly have down there that aren't in here!"

"Many. These are more tales and stuff that I am interested in, Veela books are in here because when I came of age I researched non-stop, there are even muggle novels on that far wall." He said pointing to which shelf he was talking about. "Contrary to belief I don't hold all the feelings my father taught me, I did but something changed my mind."

"What was it?" Hermione asked, pulling a book off the shelf that she was interested in and sitting herself on the couch in a ball. Draco followed suit and sat next to her.

"You did."

"Well aren't you romantic."

"No, I am not." He chuckled. It was third year, before I even came into my Veela inheritance, before I even knew about it. You punched me that year remember?" Hermione smiled and blushed indicating she knew exactly what he was talking about. "Well from what I was taught, you were all nothing but cowards and unintelligent beings, which we should feel sorry for you because you were lesser than purebloods, and if we purebloods had any heart we would dispose of your kind and put you out of your misery. But after you punched me, I realized you weren't a coward, and you weren't unintelligent because you and I got the same marks, we were top in the class and sometimes you even passed me. Then fourth year and fifth year came and I was seeing that you were braver and braver and your intelligence grew and you were charming even. Everything I had ever been taught was a lie. I watched you closely to see if I could find out your secret, only there was nothing. You were just like me."

"I didn't know you watched me so closely." She said opening her book.

"It was part of the Veela instinct in me, even if I wasn't aware of it. It was my job to watch you and make sure you were safe and alright, not that you ever made it easy mind you." He said, poking her side and making her laugh.

"Tell me more about this Veela curse, I would rather hear it from you and you don't really talk about it."

"It's not exactly a fun topic but alright. To answer your ridiculous question, yes you can leave any time you want. But that does not stop me from wanting you. My Veela, and me for that matter, care deeply for you, we will want to touch you and hear you, know you are safe. The idea of you leaving scares me and hurts me; I could still die without you from what they call heartbreak. It's basically punishment for not being able to please your mate enough to keep them around so you get killed off and your family line ends."

"That's harsh."

"You have no idea. And the changes I went through to look this godly handsome," he said, quoting her and gesturing to his body, " cause I mean face it, I look good." He chuckled causing Hermione to laugh, the ringing of it sending his heart into overdrive. "It was a painful process, my muscles ripping to adjust and my teeth moving to make room for my so called fangs so I could mark you. It was all painful, but it was designed to make me look better so your body would be called to mine. See the only thing a Veela can think about is mating first then getting the mate to fall in love with them, unless like our circumstances where you are in distress and my primary concern is to make sure you are alright and happy as I can make you." He took a deep breath. This was the first time he had really talked about his Veela inheritance and it felt good but awfully strange to open up to someone.

"Being a Veela must be hard."

"It can be, but very rewarding. And I should clarify that I am only half-Veela being a whole Veela would be rather terrifying, I could shape shift into a snake if I wanted to."

Hermione looked at him confused, " We will talk about that another time." She said and gestured for him to continue.

"Powers, well I have many. For example I can control your emotions if I wanted to, I could make you calm if I wanted or angry, it's the way for a Veela to help his mate if they are feeling very distressed, but I know that would only confuse you and you would resent me when you found out so I decide to let you learn on your own. I have stronger magic than before, I can do wand less magic instantly without having to learn how to do so, and I have wings."

Hermione laughed at the last part. "No you don't."

"I do, it makes me look intimidating in case someone were to step over the line concerning you, my face will distort and my eyes will be black as my Veela side takes complete control to protect what belongs to me." Draco chuckled when she didn't look convinced. "Well that's enough of that crap." He said opening his own book. "If you want more information I can pull books down for you to read, I am sure I didn't cover all your questions because I don't even know everything myself."

They were quiet for a moment before Hermione scooted to him and grabbed his arm so she could snuggle into his chest while she read. She smiled as she lay next to him, cozy and warm, her head being dizzy from his familiar smell. Draco felt the same way, her smell enticed him and he knew that he was hers and without a doubt everything would work out as long as they had each other, that's just the way it was meant to be. He rubbed lazy circles on her arm and he began to purr content that she was so close to him.

"Why do you purr?" Hermione suddenly asked.

Draco was embarrassed but he would never admit that out loud. "It's me being happy that you are so close to me, I am content and at peace."

"Good." Hermione said, turning her head to kiss the crook of his neck. "I am too actually." She found herself surprised from the revelation.

"Don't shut me out and I can keep it that way Hermione." He said, kissing the top of her head.

Hermione found herself smiling like an idiot, it felt nice to feel carefree for now. In four days she could be unhappy but right now she needed to let go. "I love you." She said playing with his fingers.

"I love you too."

Hermione sat for a moment longer trying to read but couldn't focus. "Draco no one comes over here correct?"

"Correct, my mother occasionally but that's only been once or twice every year."

Hermione threw her book on the ground and grabbed Draco's tossing it onto the rug. "Good." She said and she pushed him down against the couch and began kissing him.

She missed him in every way possible, and when she felt him smile against her lips she felt her heart flutter. When his large hands wrapped around waist she felt herself shudder in happiness and held his face in her hands as he kissed her back. She pulled away taking a breath and looked into his beautiful silver eyes, they looked like a liquid pool of silver.

"Are you alright?" Draco asked, holding her face in his hand.

"Yes, actually." She leaned down and pecked his mouth then bent her mouth to his ear. "Make love to me." She whispered.


	17. Chapter 17

Authors note: I know I have been doing a lot of these, but I just wanted to say I am sorry if these are not quite as wonderful as what you hope, and that I know my characters are out of character and I know Voldemort may not seem evil enough I am trying my best and thank you for your patience with my story! Enjoy! Thanks!

Hermione stretched her body across the bed as she woke up bathed in the morning sunlight. After stretching she curled her body back into Draco's and kisses his bare chest, her eyes fluttering closed.

The last couple of days had been wonderful and Hermione wouldn't have asked for anything different. The day they had made love in the library had been nothing like the first time, it was better. He had laid her down on the soft white rug, placing a black pillow from the couch behind her head for comfort, and kissed her while the fire from the fireplace dances across their skin quickly making a coat of perspiration. He'd been so gentle, his fingers trailing softly along the curves of her body. She could still feel the trail of fire against her skin from his touch. It was heavenly. He kept reminding her that she was beautiful and that he loved her the whole time. He treated her like treasure.

Hermione sighed, contentedly, and snuggled deeper into Draco's chest and she smiled when she felt his arm instinctively wrap around her pulling her closer. It was all so perfect. But all that went out the window as she realized today was Monday and she ripped herself from her arms sitting up full of excitement and panic. She was returning to Hogwarts today and a strangled laugh escaped her throat.

Draco jerked awake at her quick movement, panicking when he thought she had been torn from him. When he saw her sitting up clutching her chest he calmed a little. "What's wrong?" he asked sitting up.

Hermione jumped at his sudden voice and looked at him a smile on her face. "I am returning to Hogwarts today. I am going home." She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his neck.

"I'm glad you are happy." He smiled into her air, ignoring the pang of sadness when she didn't feel at home was where he was.

Hermione pulled away realization hitting her. "I haven't any of my books or school robes." She gasped, shocked at her own forgetfulness.

"It's all taken care of, love" Draco said, pulling her down into his chest as he lay back, playing with the ends of her hair.

"Are you positive? Quills, books, parchme-"A knock on the door cut her off and both of their faces snapped towards the intruding sound. Draco's face full of confusion and Hermione's of fear, but neither could think on it long as another knock sounded from the door.

"Draco," a silky voice called from the other side.

He groaned and crawled out of bed. "It's my mother."

Hermione flushed in embarrassment, '_So much for nobody coming in to this side of the house'_ she thought, as she crawled out of bed to stand next to Draco as he opened the door.

Narcissa stood elegantly as ever in her black dress and perfectly sculpted hair, but her eyes were wide with worry. "Get dressed quickly." She demanded. "The Dark Lord is here and wishes to speak to you both."

Hermione registered the information first and pushed her panic to the side, there was no time for it. She quickly got herself clothes and Draco's as she saw he wasn't moving away from the door in shock. She rested a hand on his bicep gaining his attention.

"Draco get dressed." She said, handing him the suit she picked out as she slipped on her simple black garment that cascaded to the floor and placed her feet in the silver shoes she wore last time. Pulling her hair to the side and over her shoulder she fastened it and figured it was as good as it would get.

She turned to find Draco standing dumbly, but dressed. She grabbed his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze as she swept him out the door meeting Narcissa in the hall, and following her to the, too familiar, foyer. Upon reaching the foyer Hermione could feel Draco tense beside her as his eyes landed on the only other person in the room. Voldemort stood in his long, black, tattered robe; with his snake, Nagini, slithering in circles around him protectively.

"Welcome friends." His soft voice broke through the cold air of the room. He stepped over Nagini, his feet bare once again, and made his way to the three of them. He picked up Hermione's left hand in both of his, one holding her arm and one bringing up her hand to his, almost non-existent, lips and placed a kiss on her knuckles. "How is my new Death Eater faring?" he asked cheerfully, sickenly cheerful.

"Well." Hermione responded curtly, lifting her chin in defiance and trying not to wince as Draco's hand clenched hers too tightly.

"Good, good. Now I have an important mission for the both of you. I want you to watch over a certain group of people, be spies per say." His words slithered off his tongue. "You may be familiar with them Hermione."

She stiffened but didn't look away from those slits he called eyes. "My lord?" She asked with perfect clarity, she played the part well.

"Ah yes, remember a time not too long ago in the ministry when you first laid eyes upon me. You foolish children created a group called 'Dumbledore's Army.'" He laughed at this as if it was a joke, but the mirth in his face faded quickly. "I do believe you were part of this group, a founder even." He hissed angrily then sighed, "Alas, let bygones be bygones. Your job now is to keep an eye on them, if they make one wrong move or look…suspicious, kill them." He growled and with that apparated in a black swirl leaving Hermione to shake in his wake, and in a daze as she realized her left forearm was burning.

Every single person in Dumbledore's Army she knew, and she also knew how resilient they were, they would still be fighting secretly; and the burning of her Dark Mark reminded her how much power Voldemort had over her. It reminded her that he wasn't just asking for them to do this mission, he was commanding it and there were no other options, if they made one step out of line, she had to kill the people she called friends.

Draco shaking her and calling her name vaguely registered in the back of her mind as she looked at him, her face pale. "Hermione, talk to me. What's going on through that head of your?" She didn't respond only looked at him confused, while her arm held her Dark Mark. "What do you feel? Talk to me." He tried to pry her hand off of her arm to look but she was gripping so tightly it would only hurt her.

"Bella go fetch some water." Narcissa asked Bellatrix, who had only just entered the room but had gone without notice by the couple. She grumbled and did as she was told.

"Hermione what's going on?"

"Don't you feel it?" She asked.

"Feel what?"

"The burning," she said rubbing her aching flesh.

Draco looked at her surprised, "I don't feel anything." He stared at her for a moment then realization hit him. He ripped her hand away from her arm and saw the burning hand print covering the skull and snake. "He cursed you." he muttered angrily.

Narcissa stepped over and carefully took Hermione's hand in hers, observing. "How is this possible?" She questioned, stepping away shocked.

"What? How is what possible?"

Draco decided on a different approach. "When he told you the news, what did you feel?" He asked, trying to pinpoint which curse was infecting his mate.

Hermione thought for a moment, "It's non-negotiable. It wasn't him telling me, he was commanding it of me, it's not a choice. The Dark Mark burning binds me to what he has said."

"But Hermione, think, you know deep down that the Dark Mark can't make you do anything apart from going to him when he summons you. The protean charm doesn't give him the ability to command you to do anything." Draco hoped she could figure it out, he didn't want to say it; his Veela side would kick in if he did.

"What are you saying then Draco?" she asked nervously, Draco sighing as he knew he had to answer.

"He did the Imperius curse on your Dark Mark." Draco muttered, his eyes suddenly going completely black and terrifying Hermione, causing her to step away from him quickly while her mouth dropped.

"How does that work?" Narcissa asked, as Bellatrix returned with a glass of water handing it to the shaking girl, with a snarl on her face.

Bellatrix was completely unaware of the situation and only glanced down noticing the hand print and laughed. "That is not good dearie."

Draco turned on her, his wand at her throat. "What did he do?" He growled.

Bellatrix only flinched for a moment then regained her normal demeanor. "That curse on the Dark Mark binds her to him."

"He can see when she is faced against her friends and control her mind to do his bidding." Narcissa gasped her mouth agape. She had never believed the Dark Lord to be so powerful.

"Precisely Cissy." Bellatrix said, slipping away from Draco's pointed wand and walking to leave the others in their thoughts.

Draco didn't register her leaving, he could only feel things. He could, for the first time, feel his mates emotions and they were crushing him, it was hard for him to breath. he could feel the depression settle in on her and the panic and she came to understand there was no way out and she had been trapped by something neither of them thought possible. He grabbed Hermione and picked her up bridal style, not caring when the glass slipped from her hands and shattered on the floor.

"We will figure a way out. I won't let this happen to you"

Hermione tried to be cheerful for Draco's sake and for the sake of her sanity. She didn't want him to know she was panicking and if she could convince him she was alright then maybe he could get himself under control and go back to normal.

Draco had let his Veela side take over as he paced back and forth in the room, not listening to a word Hermione was saying about school. His eyes were black, his fangs bared and his shoulder blades ached with the need to protect is mate. He was angry, at himself and the world, at Hermione for letting Voldemort touch her; even though to pull away would have caused a greater problem such as death. He couldn't register anything around him while he was lost in his thoughts, trying to find a way out. He wouldn't let this happen to her, she didn't agree to become his mate and love him only to have this become her life. He would watch her and prevent her from doing anything stupid, she would avoid her friends, he would make sure of it. Hermione would not be out of his sight.

He felt recognition of his mate as he felt he small hand on his shoulder, and he turned instantly sighing in relief and burying his head into her neck sinking his teeth into her soft flesh gaining a drop of blood. She gasped and shuddered beneath him and pulled away suddenly.

Her eyes looked at him shocked, "Draco Malfoy that is the third time you have bitten me and taken my blood. Will you stop doing that?!" She screeched.

Draco blinked twice and saw relief in Hermione's face when his eyes must have gone back to their normal color. "Sorry." He murmured embarrassed.

"Honestly, you are a Veela not a Vampire." She said accusingly.

"It helps me." He muttered. "It has a calming effect, lets me know you are safe."

"Doesn't holding me and my touch do that?"

Draco looked away, "Yeah but getting your blood is the quickest way to know you are completely safe and alive."

Hermione sighed and stepped into his arms, "Try not to do that, its pleasant but painful and way too surprising for me." She chuckled.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Stay calm and happy?"

Hermione sighed and looked up at him, "When you can't change something and it's bothering you the best way to deal with it is to be calm and smile, or you will drive yourself mad questioning what you could have done better or how to fix the problem. And when something happens and you try to think it through right away our brains don't always process what's the best course of action, but rather on instinct and emotion."

"Oh, that explains why you tried to leap through the window." Draco laughed kissing her forehead. He released her and walked over to the bed side table picking up his wand to check the time. "We have to go. It's ten."

"Holy cricket!" Hermione gasped, quickly grabbing his hand and waiting to be apparated away, but when nothing happened she looked up at Draco expectantly while he just stared at her a small smile on his lips. "Hello? Are we going to go?" She asked, waving her hand in front of his face.

He grabbed her hand and kissed the palm of it. "I love you."

Hermione blushed under his gaze, "That's fine and dandy but we have to go or we will miss the train."

He nodded and grabbed her, bringing her into his embrace and apparated them to Kings Cross station, carelessly. "Muggles could have seen us Draco!" Hermione scolded, stepping away from him and looking around to make sure their cover wasn't blown. They had gone by unnoticed.

"See nothing to worry about." Draco smiled innocently at her and brought her between platform nine and ten, holding her hand as they walked through and came to the familiar platform that held the Hogwarts express.

It was bustling with the remaining students that were allowed to return to Hogwarts, with their entire luggage from their break. There were tearful good-byes to the older students who insisted on returning, and words from parents scolding their younger children to make sure that if anything bad happened they would come straight home, and then the familiar mom telling their child to owl them every day. Hermione had missed all the hustle and bustle that was Hogwarts.

She turned and smiled at Draco before she felt her hand get ripped away from Draco and her body flying to the ground, her head cracking against the pavement and the wind getting knocked out of her. She heard the gasps of students and the deep growl of Draco as he pulled the figure off of Hermione and tossed them to the ground. Draco was by her side in seconds and helped sit her up, his eyes suddenly going black again; Hermione noted that it happened more often.

She looked around to see her attacker and found Neville Longbottom crumpled on the floor, wand out and anger and a mix of shock on his face. "Neville?!" She went to go to him, but Draco held her back close to his chest and she looked at him confused, but couldn't see his face as he was nuzzled into her hair, with his eyes fixed on Neville.

"Hermione?" A voice behind her asked, making Draco growl again, another threat.

She turned to see the familiar face of Ginny, and desperately she attempted to get up but Draco held her down, and before she could blink Ginny ripped her from his arms. Draco stood quickly to attack the person that stole his mate from him, but a wand pointing at his temple stopped him. Neville had gotten up and had his wand trained on Draco and it didn't take long for Ginny to do the same thing, sweeping Hermione behind her.

"What's wrong with him?" Neville asked.

"Nothing." Hermione went to stop out from behind Ginny, but she was pushed once more behind her, stumbling over her feet and falling to the ground, the snapping sound of a bone making everyone look at her as tears filled her eyes.

Draco took a step towards Ginny to get to Hermione, he needed to help her, but Neville stepped in front of Ginny yelling Stupefy, but looking shocked when it did not send him flying. It only made Draco angry, they were keeping him from his mate and it was not a good thing to do, especially with her being hurt and all Draco could see was red as a growl that soon turned in to a roaring scream tore from his throat. He stood taller than ever now and a horrible ripping sound came out of his body and all Neville, Ginny and Hermione could do was stare in fear at what they saw.


	18. Chapter 18

Authors note:

If you want to review go ahead I appreciate them and thank you for taking the time to do them. This is the next chapter and it gets kind of intense, I suspect people will both like it and not like it, please stick with me I promise it will all be worth it, at least to me it. Hope you enjoy it and have a good day!

Chapter 18

Draco had changed suddenly. He had grown in height and width, the silver of his eyes no longer existent as they had glossed over going completely black, and his fangs were bared with a silver liquid dripping off of them, hitting the ground with a sizzle. Hermione was surprised to say the least, but it was his suddenly very real wings that protruded from his back that made her shake, weather from fear or awe was unknown. They were black and the full length of his body, going slightly above his head; each feather fluttered in the light breeze and as they moved the sun shined off of the little hints of silver in each feather making it appear to be shimmering. It was like Draco's wings were a pond and the shimmering was the sun hitting the water for the first time in the early morning, it was beautiful and the only thing Hermione wasn't afraid of. The rest of him she was, he looked so much stronger and destructive, his handsome features had been contorted and he looked less than human now, more evil than the gentle man she got to know; and she didn't want to look into those black soulless eyes.

Draco took a haggard step forward; his body no doubt tired from the sudden change, but met resistance when Neville stood up straighter in defiance. But Draco's height and new found strength was no match for Neville and with one swift swing of his left arm he launched Neville out of the way and then with his right he swept Ginny away, a growl ripping through his chest and out of his mouth as both people crumpled to the ground in a messy heap, he was angry with all the obstacles of getting to his mate to say the least; and when they fell a twisted smile etched on his face as he took another step towards his mate.

Hermione's eyes grew wide as she held her good hand in protection and tried to curl her body closer to itself, as if to shield her from his touch. Fear pulsed through each of her veins and her eyes stayed trained on him, trying to find a piece of her Draco in this monster. Only when he reached out for her did she recoil, screaming "Don't touch me!" Not wanting this creature, who seemed so violent, to touch her.

Draco looked at her surprised and confused before suddenly falling to his knees the pain of rejection hitting his whole being as his wings retracted in defeat and his body shrinking back to its 6'2 frame losing the intense intimidation. His eyes went from the black to silver instantly and his fangs sunk back in his head. His whole body was shaking from the change it went through and his shirt was ripped revealing his smooth chest that was now a light pink from inflammation, and his forehead was covered in a coat of sweat.

"Hermione?" He croaked, reaching for her with shaking hands.

Hermione uncurled herself and a surprise sob and laugh came from her throat. "You're back." She whispered, grabbing one of his hands with her good one. Draco easily pulled her to him, kissing her head. "That was so scary," she sniffed as he held her righter and she nuzzled into his chest.

"Hermione!" The sharp voice of cut through the moment of calmness, causing a ruble to start from Draco's chest again.

Hermione stroked his face and turned to an angry Neville and Ginny, and then she quickly looked around to notice that everyone had their eyes on them. "Let's go someplace more private."

Ginny and Neville gave a curt nod and glared at Draco as he lifted Hermione bridal style, carrying her to the Hogwarts express; despite her objections. While walking Draco glared at anyone who so much as thought it was wise to glance their way, and his grip would instantly tighten on Hermione

For the first time that year Draco was glad that he was Head boy because it gave him his own compartment that he shared with Head girl, who was now going to be Hermione Granger. It would give the privacy they needed from prying eyes and eavesdropping ears. He slid the door open easily with his foot, maintaining balance, and walked in sitting down on the bench still cradling Hermione. He took a deep breath, taking in her scent, to calm himself down and ensure she was unharmed; but her scent was dim, and Draco immediately, ignoring the two gawking Gryffindor's, started patting her down checking for the infliction.

Hermione made his search easy by lifting up her right hand, which revealed a purple and blue wrist and a disfigured pinky that had snapped in half. A whining growl noise came out of Draco as he bared his fangs again, the same silver liquid gathering in a drip at the point of his teeth.

He cupped her cheek with one hand and tilted her head with the other stretching her neck out to him and revealing a crescent shaped mark on her neck. He leaned in whispering in her ear to trust him and if he had permission to do what he needed to do. She nodded her head in consent and Draco kissed her mark gently before he sunk his fangs in, releasing the amount of liquid necessary.

Hermione felt a tingling sensation in her neck that travelled through her body and down to her hand as if her whole body had fallen asleep; and although she heard the snap of her finger going back in black she felt no pain and found that her eyes had closed in relaxation. Draco wrapped his arms around her and smiled as her scent became stronger until if filled the compartment with a dizzying strength. A clearing of a throat made Hermione open her eyes reluctantly and Draco stare at the Gryffindor's in front of him.

Neville had a look of disgust and confusion, Ginny had one of shock, eyes wide and mouth open; her eyes glued to Draco. "It's not polite to stare Ginger." Draco's said, his voice laced with amused sarcasm. "Have a seat."

Neville sat in a huff and Ginny set her jaw angrily sitting next to him. "Start talking Malfoy." Ginny spat.

"Oh, is that any way to talk to your best friends Soul Mate?" Draco smirked, his cocky arrogance filling the small compartment.

'_This is not good.'_ Hermione thought, trying to pull out of Draco's arms, and despite him and Ginny bantering back and forth he still kept a firm grip on her waist.

The arguing went on for at least an hour, of how Ginny just kept calling him a liar, and he'd rebuttal with how stupid she must really be to think that even his body shifting was a lie, that he had tricked them all with some spell to make them see what he wanted them to see. Neville had lost interest in the argument and was staring out the window, wand in hand just in case; and Hermione was slowly getting more nervous and irritated at their tempers were rising and they wouldn't let her speak once. Finally Ginny slapped Draco in final anger and Hermione leapt from his arms and shoved Ginny back, surprising herself.

"Don't you dare touch him." She spat, anger and jealousy filling her.

"You've been Imperiused." Ginny gasped eyes wide.

Hermione jerked away from her and sat next to Draco, hiding into his shoulder fearing that they had found out what Voldemort had done to her that morning_. 'Wow'_ Hermione thought, _'It was only just this morning all this happened.'_ She was surprised that it felt like it was long ago.

"Malfoy Imperiused you. That explains everything."

Draco stood towering over her, "You've got some nerve accusing me of an unforgivable."

Hermione pulled Draco back down, "This is not going as I had planned. Draco you should have let me explain and Ginny you shouldn't just go assuming things to be the worst possible scenario." She let out a large sigh. "Draco didn't lie to you and he most certainly didn't curse me. We are soul mates, as strange as that sounds." Hermione looked at Draco as if asking for permission to continue, and with a head nod he gave it to her, pulling her into his chest and rubbing circles on her arm.

"Draco is a Veela. Well he isn't a full Veela and what you just experienced was him actually being vulnerable despite how terrifying he looked." She said with a shudder. "I am his mate and you guys got in the way of that, and I know you were trying to help but it only made things worse."

"Have you accepted being his mate?" Ginny asked, somewhat familiar with Veela's seeing that her sister in law, Fleur, was one.

"Yes." Hermione said firmly.

"Have you lost your mind?" Ginny screamed, causing Hermione to flinch and her eyes to start watering in guilt. "This is Draco Malfoy, the boy who has tortured you since you were 11, whose father gave me Tom Riddles Diary, almost killing me. He is a Death Eater and a follower of Voldemort. Hermione Jean Granger I had no idea you were so stupid!"

Hermione cried now and Draco's heart clenched. "You know why no one likes you Ginger? Why I can't stand you? " He said, "It's because you are a bitch. Look at what you've done." He said gesturing to Hermione.

His words gave her sudden courage and she sat up straight, looking at Ginny. "You know nothing of torture. Draco may have bullied me but you know nothing about real torture. I do, Draco does and you don't." Hermione felt anger boiling in her, it was unacceptable to her that people could assume so much without question, and it angered her that Draco had ended up in the crossfire on her behalf. "And that diary, Draco didn't know his father gave it to you, he had no idea who the heir of Slytherin was." She turned to see a confused Draco, "I'll explain that later." She said to him and continued. "As for being a Death Eater and following Voldemort you have no idea what he's been through. The Dark Mark does not make someone a Death Eater and his parents followed Voldemort before he was even born so he was sucked into it. He has to face Voldemort often and pretend to blindly follow him, despite the fact that he is terrified that with one wrong move both his life and the life of his parents will be end in a blink. The only reason he is still alive is because he proves himself useful by doing things he doesn't want to do." She breathed out heavily, exhausted from her rant.

Neville looked sympathetic towards Draco, but Ginny had a strong temper. "And how would you know Hermione? How could you possibly have any idea about what makes a Death eater a Death Eater?" She spat.

Hermione stood. "If the Dark Mark makes you one then throw me in Azkaban when this is all over." She said ripping up her sleeve up revealing the word Mudblood and the Dark Mark, making Neville and Ginny too shocked to speak and Draco placing a hand to stroke it gently before pulling away. "You know me, I would never get this Mark. It was painful and horrible and no matter how hard I tried to pull away they held me down. Voldemort told me I belonged to him now. You have no idea what any of it is like." Hermione said her voice cracking as she stood her ground.

Ginny looked at Draco seething, "You let this happen to her."

Draco hung his head in shame, guilt filling him; "I know I did."

"It wasn't his fault." Hermione interjected. "They stunned him."

"We tried stunning him out there, and he didn't slow down once." Neville spoke up.

"His inner Veela was awakened when you guys came. At the time he had no idea I was in any type of danger, that was why it affected him I am guessing, but you tackled me." She said pointing to Neville. "It scared him and he went into attack mode."

Draco groaned. "You are making me sound like a pansy."

Hermione turned at looked at him, as he held his face in his hands. "No you sound like you are in love." But he didn't look assured. "Draco Malfoy here I am defending your case and choosing your side in front of my friends to prevent them from killing you on the spot and you are worried about being seen as a pansy!" She huffed, plopping herself down next to him. "Unbelievable." She muttered, focusing her eyes back on Neville and Ginny. "Look you guys, everything I went through Draco has gone through. It wasn't his choice as much as it wasn't mine."

"Fine, Hermione." Neville conceded, lifting up a hand for Draco to shake and Draco did so immediately calling a truce. Neville was always a peace keeper.

"I don't want to believe it." Ginny said sitting down. "It all seems so impossible, but if Hermione is willing to defend you then we will not kill you, today at least." She said, giving him a smirk. "But if you hurt Hermione I will kill you."

"I will hand myself over to you if I hurt her." Draco said.

After a few moments of silence Hermione grabbed Draco's hand smiling. It was all a start and her friends hadn't reacted the way she thought they would, but then again they knew her better than the rest of her other friends. Everything changed now, it was strange and relaxing but Hermione was surprised at her burst of anger and her boldness on showing her Dark Mark.

"Hermione where are Harry and Ron?" Ginny asked quietly.

Hermione sighed; she was waiting for this question. "We were running in the woods and snatchers caught us and brought us to Malfoy Manor, they got a way and are doing what needs to be done. Harry and Ron both say they love and miss you." She said trying to give hope to her friend and offering a small smile.

"Is that where you got Mudblood from?" Ginny asked rather bluntly, ignoring the sentimental moment as to not cry from loneliness on missing Harry and Ron. It was no secret that she was madly in love with Harry, and Ron was her brother; it was only natural for her to feel how she felt.

Hermione flinched. "Yes."

"Tell us what happened." Neville demanded.

Draco put his arm protectively around her as he felt her begin to shake. "She hasn't talked to me about it, it doesn't do well to put your noses where they don't belong." He sneered.

"Draco it's alright." Hermione said leaning in closer to him. "I'll tell you when I am ready; I am just not ready to relive it. It seemed like it was so long ago but it was only about a week ago and I'd rather not rehash it." She stated firmly, closing the topic of conversation.

"It's alright, we understand." Neville said, and he did. Ginny on the other hand didn't, but she didn't realize just how bad it was and that Hermione was scared she would sink into a depression that she had no time for right now. When the war was over then maybe she would talk about it, but right now she had to focus on seeing the end of the war. "It'll make Dumbledore's Army want to fight even more, knowing their Gryffindor princess was harmed will definitely add fuel to the fire." Neville said, chuckling and trying to lighten the mood.

The mention of Dumbledore's Army made her head snap up and lock eyes with Neville. She had hoped they had ended that group, but she knew it was foolish of her to believe such a thing. And the mention of it still existing, and that Neville was the one to communicate to them sent a red flag up in her head.

'Kill him' a hissing voice whispered in her head, causing her to look around and grip Draco's bicep tightly as she felt her body pull forward to Neville's, her wand suddenly whipping out, as she tried desperately to cling to Draco to prevent her from moving towards him. But she could feel the urge to kill him, to end a life that belonged in Dumbledore's Army, was so strong, she pulled away from Draco before he could grab her and towered over Neville, no longer in control of herself even though her eyes filled with tears of fear and sadness she couldn't beat the pull.

"Avada Kedavra."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

* Authors note* This chapter is probably lacking in every way possible, I am stuck but I am trying with what time I have to do this and I don't want to let you guys down. So please enjoy, working on Chapter 20 now. Thank you for your kindness, faithfulness and patience. Sorry for any mistakes I only have 2 hours to write edit and upload. Enjoy thank you all!

Without a moment's hesitation Draco's hand grabbed Hermione's wrist pushing it up, the curse barely missing Neville, the green light hitting the ceiling. His other hand grabbed her waist and he shoved her against the window of the compartment, a little too roughly, and used his hips to pin her against the window and his hands holding her wrist above her head.

"Get out." Draco growled to Neville and Ginny struggling with Hermione, wanting to keep her in place but not hurt her was proving to be a difficult task.

"What's wrong with her?" Ginny asked, being completely ignored as she took a fearful step forward. She had never seen Hermione like this.

Hermione was whispering 'no' to herself over and over again as tears just leaked out of her eyes. She'd whisper then fall silent, staring into the distance, dear written all over her face, then she would whisper 'no' again. She hand no idea how to control herself, she just wanted to get free of Draco's grasp and she didn't care if she hurt him in her attempts. The only thing on her mind was disposing of the 'threat' to the Dark Lord, and at the same time trying to ignore the pull of magic and trying to not remember Voldemort's voice in her head moments ago.

When Voldemort's voice first came into her minds whispering 'Kill him', it scared her out of her wits. Having someone else in your head and being able to control you was plain terrifying. But part of her knew that if she could just get free of Draco and follow through with what needed to be done then it would all be over.

"Let go of me!" Hermione screamed, attempting to knee Draco.

"You don't really want that Hermione." He said softly.

But she did want it. Didn't he understand she had a mission and she needed to get it over with or she would never be free? That despite the fact that the Dark Lord was no longer commanding her in her head she knew that she had to do what was asked. "Let me go." She said through gritted teeth, giving up on struggling against Draco.

"Let her go Malfoy." Ginny yelled, wand at the ready.

"If you want to live you will get the fuck out of here." Draco screamed, turning towards them fangs bared with venom building up at the tips again.

Ginny and Neville backed away slowly, glaring daggers at Draco as they left, full of confusion. As soon as they slipped through the compartment doors Hermione struggled against Draco again. It was like there was an invisible rope pulling her to go after Neville.

"Hermione, look at me." Her eyes were still dripping with tears and she stayed focused on the door behind Draco. "Hermione, love, look at me." She slowly peeled her eyes away and locked hers with his. "There's my girl. Take deep breaths, everything is okay." He said with an encouraging smile.

Hermione took the deep breaths and felt Draco's grip on her loosen slightly, and as soon as nothing was firmly holding her, her body started shaking and convulsing in shock. "He was in my head Draco." She said pointing a shaky finger to her temple.

"It's over now, it's all over. Just focus on me. Nothing is going to happen, he can't control you anymore."

Hermione could respond to that, she just felt sudden exhaustion as the last of the powerful dark magic left her body, leaving her tired and confused. Her legs were so shaky and unstable she could hardly hold herself up as she slumped towards Draco, whimpering.

"I wanted to kill him Draco." She whispered.

"No you didn't. That wasn't you." He began sternly, "You know that, you tried to stop yourself as much as possible, you looked at me for help. You tried your best to fight it."

"Don't try and make me feel better." She said pushing past him, and sitting down on the cushioned bench. "It doesn't make what I've done any better."

"We will just have to be careful next time." He said, sitting next to her and grabbing her hand. "You should get some rest."

"No I'm not tired, can we just talk a little bit?" Hermione asked. Distraction is key.

"Yeah what do you want to talk about?"

"Well there is no point in ignoring the elephant in the room."

Draco looked around a moment, confused, to see what she was talking about and this cause Hermione to bust out in laughter, all the tension in her body and the room dispersing. "I'm sorry, it's an expression." She chuckled.

Draco's face turned red with embarrassment. "I knew that, I was just kidding. Wanted to make you laugh." He said clearing his throat and leaning nonchalantly, throwing his arm around her shoulders.

"Of course." She said smiling, "Anyway, I was wanting to talk about you getting your wings."

"Oh that." He said looking at his still tattered shirt.

"Yeah that." She whispered. "I've never seen anything like it. It was amazing and beautiful, did it hurt?"

"First off, never describe me as beautiful, Malfoy men don't do beautiful. Secondly, I was focusing on protecting you so I didn't really notice the change until I approached you and you turned away scared, then I realized my appearance had changed and I frightened you. But other than that I didn't really notice." He shrugged.

"Speaking of protecting, don't you think you were over reacting a little?"

"I was trying to protect you."

"It was just a broken pinky!" She protested.

"And a sprained wrist. And they were blocking you from me."

"Still I feel you over reacted."

"You are right Hermione, next time I'll let you suffer." He replied sarcastically, trying to stay serious; but the corner of his mouth lifting up betrayed him.

"Good. That's all I ask for." She said with a nod of her head.

Draco glanced at her smiling, and then pulled her to him kissing her temple. "You doing alright?"

"Better. Draco how did you heal me earlier?"

"In those types of situations, where I feel you are threatened and I know you are hurt, I get my wings and venom and they become a permanent feature for me from that moment on. Since I had gotten my fangs and the venom I could easily get them to come out and when I bit you I released the venom creating you to heal."

"So why is it called Venom then?"

"Oh simple, I can kill anyone else with it if I choose."

They stayed in a comfortable silence for a little while, Hermione thinking about all the events on the morning, her excitement at seeing her friends, her fear at Draco's sudden change and then the traumatic experience of her almost killing Neville. It was a lot for one day, but at least she was going back to school. She was excited to feel magic again, to learn what she could and pick up a wand-

"I don't have a wand!" She suddenly screamed, making Draco jump. "How could I have been so stupid to forget?"

"You aren't stupid so shut up. Your wand is with all the rest of your supplies already at the castle."

"Oh." She blushed. "We are going to share a common room aren't we?"

"Yeah, and being head girl now you will have a lot of responsibility." He scolded jokingly. "Night time rounds, prefect meetings, looking out for suspicious activity." He wiggled his eyes brows at her.

"I am sure it must be grueling." She whined.

"Completely." He smiled at her, enjoying her pulling herself out of this slump she was in, but he wasn't convinced. "Hermione you know you can talk to me right? You don't have to put on a front."

She looked away and out at the window, watching as the trees rushed passed in a blur. "I know. You reminded me that not talking won't help, so I am talking."

"You know I didn't mean it like that. I want you to tell me how you are feeling and we can work through it. So is there anything you want to talk about right now?"

"Nope." She replied, popping the 'P' and still not looking at him.

"Ignoring it won't help."

Hermione whipped her head around, eyes wide. "I have to ignore it don't you understand? If I focus on every bad thing that's ever happened I will fall apart and I don't have time for that, if you didn't notice we are in the middle of a war. I don't have time to be weak."

"Feeling isn't weak. You are talking to someone who was raised to think that way but I am telling you it isn't weak."

Hermione laid a hand on his shoulder. "If you saw on the outside what I feel on the inside you would leave, you would walk out that door and never want to talk to me again. After the war you will see that side and I will deal with you going, but right now I would like to pretend everything is alright and enjoy the time I have with one of the only things left that I love." She said softly.

"I would never leave." He said gravely, in an even tone. He stood up and grabbed their trunks pulling out his dress robes and hers, tossing the items of clothing onto the opposite bench. "To think you have such little faith in me to think that way, it's disgusting."

His words were sharp and he knew they were but he was hurting and it was the only way he knew how. After this war they were both going to be a mess and that meant they both needed each other more than ever in those moments. He was a mess now, better now that he had her but he still struggled. He could see she did too and all he wanted was to be the one to put her back together, to love her and help her no matter how long it all took; she was worth it every step of the way. If she wasn't better in twenty years, so be it, that would be twenty years of him showing her and telling her how much he loved her and that she would be okay, and that he was with her every step of the way. It would be a journey, but one hell of a one to him.

Draco felt a little guilty for being harsh with her, she had a lot on her plate and a lot happened in just this day let alone the last week and a half; she was bound to be confused. With a sigh he put the trunks away easily, and pulled down the curtains of the compartment doors, giving them more privacy.

"Look, whether or not you like it I will be there for you every step of the way. I don't know how to explain it to you. Ugh," He groaned. "I want to wake up with you beside me in the mornings. I want to spend my evenings cooking dinner and sitting next to you by the fire. I want to share every stupid detail of my day with you and hear every detail of yours. I want to laugh with you and fall asleep with you in my arms. I want to help you through what you are going through and I am not ever going to give up. If you don't want this, whatever we are to last then fine, go. I will give you the choice, I already told you I wouldn't keep you against your will, but don't throw away what we have before it's even started, don't try and read our future." He whispered the last part, sitting next to her. That had to be the hardest thing he ever did, opening up to her like that leaving himself transparent, standing in front of Death Eaters naked would be easier.

"Draco, I don't understand. I love you, I do and I don't understand how it happened so fast and the thought of leaving you hurts terribly but why, if I am your mate, would you be telling me I can go?

"Because I am giving you the choice, if you want it, but it's all up to you. Doesn't mean it won't hurt but I am willing to do whatever you need and want. Remember that."

Hermione leaned forward and kissed his cheek, before getting up and grabbing her school robes. Draco followed suit and went to the door to leave and find the bathroom to change, but Hermione put her hand on his shoulder, a slight panic taking over.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked, confused.

"I do not want you to leave here upset with me."

"I am leaving to change, I am not upset." He assured her, turning and facing her finally.

"We have changed plenty of times together this would be no different."

"I just thought I would give you space."

"I don't want that. I want you to stay here." She demanded, getting a little angry and his childish behavior, and her own. She was getting angry at them in general. She didn't know what they were. They had sex and had mated and said they loved each other but there was no title on it. He had called them soul mates earlier, but still would that be what they would tell everyone. Why was this happening in the middle of a war and making everything so confusing, there was no time for this.

"Are you sure you wa-"

"You said you would do what I wanted and needed. I want you here and I need you here." She stated simply, giving him a hug. "I am sorry my faith in you is so little, I am working on it, but if you knew what my mind was like you would send me straight to St. Mungo's." She chuckled, trying to make a joke.

"Just trust me." He muttered.

Hermione knew trust was earned but there was something that was nagging in her, she trusted him but some of the things he said made her worry. And her logical side just said not to trust anyone and her emotional side wanted to give him every part of her to care for, but the logical side prevailed more often than the emotional side and she would get herself stuck in situations such as these. But she could do something about it, work through it, get facts and hear it from him that he was trustworthy.

"Where do you see yourself in five years?" She asked suddenly

"With you." He stated, as if it were a fact.

"You once said you saw yourself with Voldemort. Why?"

"You didn't ask me what I wanted in five years, just where I would be, and that's where I saw myself."

"What do you want in five years then?" She asked.

"You." He said looking down at her, playing with the ends of her hair with his fingertips. "What brought this on?"

"You wanted me to trust you, I trusted that you had another reason for why you said you would be with Voldemort, but I asked to ensure that I was correct in trusting you. I'm just gathering evidence as to why I should never not trust you I guess." She rambled.

"Shut up." He smiled, grabbing her face into his hands and kissing her hard on the mouth, his robes forgotten on the floor. "Thank you." He breathed.

"Anytime." She smiled up at him.

On the other side of the door came various loud noises in a high pitch that pulled their attention from one another. Hermione stepped away from Draco to investigate and just as her hand was reaching the handle the door slid open causing her to jump back with surprise. Her surprise grew as she came face to face with Daphne Greengrass and Pansy Parkinson, their eyes glued onto Hermione in shock. Daphne stayed in her dazed state but Pansy snapped out of it quickly, and with a nasty grin she took a step foreward into the compartment.

"Hello Mudblood."


	20. Chapter 20

Authors note:

I am sorry. I am having the worst time writing as of late, I feel like the story is crap and I want to stop writing it, I know where I want the story to go its just getting there I have a lot of filler chapters that are going to happen and people find them boring I feel and I don't want anyone to think this is boring. Its like the more reviews I get the more pressure but I want reviews because then that means I am doing something right, right? Oh well we must push forth ladies and gentlemen, as always thank you for your patience and thank you for dealing with my rant!

Much love

Charleegirl

Chapter 20

Hermione took a surprised step back, bumping into Draco, and his arm went protectively around her shoulders. It had been a long time since she had come face to face with with Pansy and Daphne, and it seemed as though they had transformed from ugly Slytherin girls to being quite breath taking and beautiful. Daphne had a gorgeous body, length and curvy; long bright blonde hair that looked a lot like Draco's just curly all the way down her back, and these piercing blue eyes. Hermione wondered for a moment if they were distantly related, most Purebloods were. And Pansy, how she had changed! She used to look like a pug that got hit with a bludger, but her face had filled out into pale perfection and her black hair was longer, the contrast between her hair and her deep green eyes was mesmerizing, and the thought that they were so beautiful and had spend a lifetime with Draco made her angry and a little self-conscious.

"This is brilliant!"Pansy laughed, pulling Hermione out of her thoughts. "They let a Mudblood become head girl? How sweet of them to try and give you purpose." She said, reaching out and pinching Hermione's cheek.

Hermione quickly slapped her hand away, "I have more purpose than you will ever have."

"I am sure you do." Pansy turned to Daphne and whispered, "This one is delusional."

"What do you want Parkinson?" Hermione snapped, stepping away from Draco and right up to Pansy.

"No need to be rude, just wanted to see who took my position from me and wanted to congratulate them. Is that so wrong?" Pansy smiled. "Consider yourself lucky to work with Draco."

Pansy walked past Hermione to Draco and put her hand on the base of his neck playing with his hair and leaning her head on his shoulder. Hermione tensed at the intimate interaction and Draco just rolled his eyes pushing Pansy away. "You've had your fun Pansy, now leave." He said.

"Can't a girl have a bit more fun?" She asked. "We used to have fun all the time Draco." She took her hand and trailed it down his stomach, stopping right above his belt.

Hermione felt sick and the wave of sadness and nausea hit Draco, startling him. He was use to feeling her emotions, only sightly, but not this strong before. He grabbed Pansy's hand and pushed it away. Pansy looked slightly hurt for a moment before she reached up and kissed his neck. "Come on Draco, don't be like that."

Hermione sat down on the bench defeated. They would make a beautiful couple and it was disgusting how natural they seemed with each other. When Hermione glanced at Daphne she saw no humor in her eyes at the situation, in fact she looked like she felt as uncomfortable as Hermione did.

Pansy looked back at Hermione and smiled as she saw that she was sitting down, her small form looking smaller than normal. "Did I hit a nerve?" She walked over to Hermione and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at her. "Tell me, has he screwed you yet?"

Hermione's eyes filled with tears and she looked defiantly at Pansy, standing up and pushing her back a little. "That is none of your business."

"Oh I think this one has caught feelings Draco. Does she know we are to be married?"

The compartment went completely silent, you could hear everyone's breaths and heartbeat. Hermione felt like the wind had been kicked out of her, she felt all ability to stand and talk went right out the window to be forgotten in the wind. She collapsed back onto the bench shaking with anger and hurt, she felt suddenly so dirty.

"That is enough Pansy. Get out." Draco growled pushing her towards the door.

"Oh how the mighty have fallen." Pansy said, after tripping over her feet. "I'll see you later Draco." She said with a wink as she pushed Daphne through the door, then slammed it shut.

The door slamming echoed through the quiet compartment leaving Hermione and Draco awkwardly sitting in the silence. Hermione wanted to hurt Pansy, hurt Draco. She thought it was comical and pathetic that she could go through torture and be strong but Pansy's words were enough to cripple her. It made sense though, didn't it? After everything she went through she found trust and love and warmth to give her strength, only to find out that Draco was to be married. He never mentioned it, did he not care how it would affect her? Veela's die without their mate, that much Hermione knew, so Draco had only a short amount of time left before his end would have come. He only needed to charm her to get her to mate with him and then he would leave her in the dust to go be with the perfect Pureblood. But deep down Hermione knew that Draco couldn't have done that to her, but why hide the marriage?

Hermione lifted her head and looked at Draco. "Is it true?"

"It _was_ true." Draco whispered, kneeling in front of her instantly.

"Explain." Hermione demanded, meeting his eyes. "Please."

"Its a Pureblood tradition of sorts. Whenever a Pureblooded child is born they are immediately matched with another Purblooded child and an arranged marriage is formed. They are unbreakable arrangements but in certain cases it can be nullified, like ours."

"Because you are a Veels?"

"Exactly, they didn't know until I was older if the gene had passed down or not, they thought so but were not certain." Draco held out his hand for her to take but she just stared at it.

"Did you sleep with her?"

Draco dropped his hand and looked at the ground. "Yes."

Hermione felt a pang of hurt but what was she to expect. It was Draco Malfoy and rumors around school were always talking about the next girl he did in a broom closet, Hermione just thought they were rumors and she wished now more than ever that they were. "How many others?"

"Hermione, I don't thi-"

"Draco how many others have been in your bed?" She demanded. "Who am I sharing you with?"

"You are not sharing me Hermione, its no-"

"How many?" She yelled standing up.

Draco stood up and looked her in the eyes. "Six."

Hermione looked at him, jealously burning through her. She felt an urge to break him like how she felt, and she could in an instant if she wanted to, tell him that she rejects him, let him die of heartbreak like she felt like doing. But him dying killed her inside too, it was something she was going to have to live with, that she wasn't his first like he was hers, that she probably sucked in bed and that he probably wanted to have all those other girls instead of her. She felt used and disgusted and confused. How, if he is a Veela, can he do that?

"I just don't understand. If you knew you were a Veela how could you just do all of that?"

"I didn't know I was Veela." He sighed. "Normally you are told so you can be prepared and save yourself for your mate so situations like this," he gestured between them, "Don't happen."

Hermione sat on the bench resigned and looked up at him with her honey colored eyes. "Do you think we will ever have a quiet, calm and normal day?" Hermione asked softly.

Draco sat on the bench across from her releasing a heavy sigh. " I hope so. Are you mad?"

"No"

"You are hurting, I can feel it. I am sorry I didn't know she would have gone so far."

Hermione stood up and walked to look out the window. "Yeah I am hurting, you should have told me. I shouldn't have to hear it from someone else. Especially not your ex-fiance."

"I know. Please can we just move on from this? Everything was alright before."

Hermione turned and looked at him. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

Draco stood up and walked over to her grabbing her hand in his large one. "I didn't think it mattered."

Hermione pulled her hand away from Draco's, angry. "Of course it mattered! I want to know where we stand. Where _I_ stand."

"You stand above them all. I love you, you know that, you have to know that. If I had known I was Veela I never would have done what I did, but I didn't so we can move on or we can dwell. The choice is up to you, its what you want." Draco said, walking up to her and grabbing her face in both of his hands, rubbing his thumb across her cheek bone.

" You know what I want?" Hermione waited for a response and when Draco shook his head no she continued. "I want you to be honest with me. I want to know deep down that there is nothing I have to fear about us. I want you to understand that we belong to each other and I swear Draco if Pansy gets in my way or anyone else I will not hesitate to hurt them." Hermione growled, her sudden territorial making her feel quite alive.

Draco chuckled. "That is what I love about you, that fire you have that makes you special." He leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her lips. "I _am_ sorry."

"I believe you." She said although she still felt hurt.

Hermione knew she really had no right to think that she could be upset with his past, it was his past. It just felt strange to her that she had given something so special to someone who didn't even care when they lost their virginity, it made it seem dirty. It was all about loving someone and making that bond, but that bond was never in place for him, ever. Well until now, he had given himself to her and taken really good care of her. The way he looked at Pansy like she was a disease made Hermione think that he never sat and told her that she was beautiful while they made love. And having sex in a broom closet didn't really constitute for the most romantic evening ever. This was something Hermione saw coming, she just didn't want to admit it and now that it was out in the open there was no choice but to move on from this place.

Still honesty was going to be key in this new found relationship, and Pansy Parkinson and any other girls had another thing coming if they thought they could try and steal him. In the middle of a war no less and they are still up to petty deeds like stealing someones significant other, it was quite sad really that they would behave so childish when, with some attitude adjustment, they could be nice girls and they would probably get along. But Hermione never knew when that day would happen, if it were to ever happen, thus the threat would still stand firm

Smiling up at Draco she grabbed the disguarded robes and started to take off her shirt and put on the itchy white dress shirt. Draco stood in front of her, kissed her forehead and began buttoning up her shirt, taking his time doing each button carefully, the paleness of the shirt contrasting with the honey color of her skin and drawing him to her. After he buttoned it to the very top he kissed her lips quickly and turned to get on his own dress robes. He took his time, taking in deep steady breaths and trying not to think too hard on what had just happened. In time he would make her see what no one else mattered, and she would believe it whoel heartedly, but right now he had to focus on getting her trust back and making her feel loved until she knew without a doubt everything was going to be okay, it wasn't about him, it was about her. So the pain his Veela part was causing him from the sudden problem they had at hand, would have to be ignored.

He turned once when he was fully dressed and saw that she was in everything but the dress robes, the dress shirt tucked in neatly in the skirt and her sleeves rolled to her elbows. All the clothes she was wearing before were in a cleanly folded pile on the floor and she was sitting comfortable on the bench. Draco just smiled at her and pulled down a trunk and put their used clothes away in it before sitting and joining her on the bench. Hermione gave him a warm smile before laying her head in his lap, her crazy curly hair flowing every direction.

Draco lazily put one arm over her torso and played with her hair with his free hand. "You look tired love."

"That's because it has been a really awful no good long day." She huffed on one breath. "Actually the last week has been rather awful."

"Are you implying that spending time with me is awful? Oh how your words cut through me like a knife through butter." He sighed dramatically.

"Shut up." Hermione mumbled, with her eyes closed.

"Why don't you try and get some sleep, we will be there soon."

Hermione just nodded her head and curled to her side, her head still in his lap as sleep quickly succumbed her...

_It was dark outside, and Hermione was running as fast as she could to find Harry, Death Eaters on their tail. She looked to her left and saw Ron, he was blowing curses left and right trying not to stumble, fear and anxiety plastered on his face. They ran for a while, the sound of branches and leaves crunching beneath their feet, and when Hermione looked behind her she saw that no one was following them and before she could indicate to Ron that they could slow down she tripped over something and fell into the muddy earth. Looking to find what made her fall she saw Harry, laying there with his eyes open and empty._

"_No!" Hermione screamed, grabbing onto him and shaking his lifeless form. They had lost, and the fear that gripped her chest made it all too real._

_Ron was sobbing next to her, hanging onto Harry with one hand and Hermioine with the other, his arm pulling her close to him. The swishing behind them pulled them out of their grief and they turned to see who interrupted their misery._

_A group of Death Eaters and Voldemort stood behind them, a smile plastered on their face. "How the mighty have fallen." He hissed, talking steps to get to them, once he reached them he bent down and grabbed Hermione's chin, "You performed admirably."_

_Sudden coldness hit her as Ron's arm tore itself from her shoulder his wand pointing at Voldemort. " Get your hands off her you snake!" His voice cracking of exhaustion and sorrow._

_Voldemort rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed at Ron's attempt at bravery, and pulled Hermione up by the arm, throwing her towards the group of Death Eaters, right at Draco's feet; receiving a skinned knee from all the branches. Draco leaned down offering his hand and lifting Hermione up to her feet and stroking her cheek, gently offering a smile._

" _'Mione?" Ron asked, his mouth open in shock and betrayal. He was ready to start protesting, but before he could speak Voldemort's hand shot out and back handed him, the force whipping Ron's head to the side._

"_I would think twice before you speak out of turn." He warned. "Draco take your pet home while I deal with this...traitor." He drew out his wand and pointed it and Ron's chest._

_Panic filled Hermione and she looked at Draco for help. All Draco did was offer her a small smile for comfort, but it was evident he was not going to do anything. Hermione let go of Draco's hand and went to take a step foreward but Draco's hand grabbed her throat and slammed her into the nearest tree, the bark digging into her back. _

_Looking up she didn't see Draco's smiling and loving face. Instead she saw anger as it was twisted into an ugly snarl. "Draco?" Hermione squeaked, confused._

"_Shut up, Mudblood." _

_Hermione flinched at the harsh words and at the pain she felt in her heart. There would be time for the pain later, now she needed to save her friend. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Voldemort take a step closer to Ron, Hermione pushed against Draco's solid chest giving her some leeway from the tree, and before she could go any furher Draco's grip tightened on her neck, her airway getting shut off and her feet slightly off the ground._

_And as she heard herself struggling to breath she heard another terrifying sound, the crackle of the killing curse went off along with the strong flash of light, and before her eyes she watched Ron's body crumple to the ground right next to Harry's, both of them stiff and lifeless._

"No!" Hermione screamed, her body almost falling off the bench as she jumped.

Draco was equally startled out of his many thoughts at the sudden noise, and he looked at Hermione's pale face. "You alright love?"

Hermione sat up, her legs swinging off the bench, and ran both hands over her face and hair, a deep inhale calming down her heart and relieved to be awake. "Nightmare." She stood up and planted herself into Draco's lap, her face burried into his neck, and felt wholey comforted as his arms wrapped around her waist.

It didn't matter what happened that day, it didn't matter what happened in their past; all that mattered was that he was her rock right now and he was everything that was keeping her afloat, the only one who could comfort her. And despite the face she saw in her nightmare, even though she knew that dark side existed, she had also seen the kindness and goodness in him. There was no way she could easily believe that the Draco from her nightmare was actually the Draco she knew in real life.

The train jerked to a stop and Draco's grip on her waist hardened to keep her from falling. He took his hand and cupped Hermione's cheek, pulling her away from his neck, he smiled at her and gave her peck on her lips. "We are here."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Authors Note: So I am absolutely appalled by myself, these chapters are going really slow and I am having a hard time creating them and I even contemplated deleting the whole story and just quitting. I know its failing for expectations but I also know quitting is not an option so I will push through this writers block, I know what I want and its really a lot of filler right now and I am sorry but I hope it isn't too awful for you all. I am so sorry however for how awful it has been. Thank you for your dedication. Love you all it means so much to me review if you want if not thats cool too and have a great day :)

Hermione left the dining hall to head to the Head boy and Head girl dormitories, by herself because had wanted some time to think and comprehend. She tried explaining this idea to Draco but he just didn't understand, not that she blamed him he just wanted to make sure she was safe and alright. And she was for the most part, just exhausted beyond belief. It was going to be a strange rest of her seventh year. Missing most of it was bad enough, not only did she have to catch up on everything she missed but she had to deal with people who thought the worst of her regardless that they knew her their entire lives basically. There would be no way she could just ignore the stares and whispers of everyone else as she walked down the halls, proudly, with a Death Eater. Already she had received various comments about how she easily she got Head girl, that she didn't have to work for it and how lucky she must feel, or how dare she return without her friend; their savior, Harry Potter. Mudblood. Traitor. That's what she was to them, never mind all the times she had risked her life repeadedly for years helping Harry, trying to make sure everyone was safe from He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named as much as possible. All these people whom she had known for years, even called friends, turned their backs.

Seamus Finnigan had a rotten Scottish temper and had not hesitated to call her a traitor the moment he saw her and spit in her direction, but he had been known to turn on people in his past. Harry falling prey under that himself. Susan Bones stared shocked into silence at Hermione's new 'alliance' as people already called it. Lavender Brown was mumbling under her breath on how she could loose her 'Won Won' to such a traitor, oh how the list went on. Then there were the Slytherins who sneered at her and threatedned, but their threats were always cut off by an angry Draco, most knew his status as a Death Eater and wouldn't dare speak out again. What they didn't know was that he was part Veela and every time h got angry Hermione was scared he may sprout wings; he had a nasty temper when it came to her, but part of her craved for them to be put in her place.

And ever since getting off the train Hermione hadn't seen Neville or Ginny, and it was probably for the best if they wanted to stay alive. If something happened to them because of her she would never forgive herself. How confused the must be, their best friend trying to kill them, her being a Death Eater; granted they hadn't said too much about either subject so how would she know what was going on in their heads. Well apart from attacking and blaming Draco for everything, which come to think of it is probably what they were doing at this very moment.

Sighing Hermione reached the common room portatit, a man on a horse with a shield and sword drawn. At the foot of the horse was a snake and a lion looking ready to battle, all three of them looked rather fierce and protective to one another. The body language, the snakes body lifted to protect the lion, the lion crouched ready to attack and the horse with the man leaning towards the animals with his sword in a swinging motion; made it seem as if they were all very loyal to each other. It was rather beautiful and showed great house unity between the two.

Hermione muttered the password, 'Unometas' gaining the attention of the snake, lion and man who made eye contact with her and as the man swung his sword down the door opened itself. She walked the short hallway into the common room and came across a large square space. It was huge, the whole place was made of dark gray stone, a large black rug spread across the center of the floor nearly covering all of it, in the rug were swirl designs made of gold and silver thread, silver candle holders coming out of the wall and giving light to the whole room. There was a black couch with gold throw pillows on them and a plush maroon blanket thrown across the back, in the far corner of the room were five maroon cushioned chairs with silver pillows and golden designs on them, in the center a nice wooden table which donned a small center piece of a lion and snake together.

Across from the couch was a grand fireplace and within the stone was a carving of a lion again with the snake, except this time they were not separate, the snake was wrapped around the lions body lightly and finally ended at his should draping himself over it like a scarf, there was a soft expression on their faces but still a deadly one, as if they realized with each other they were happy and knew they were far more lethal together. It was beautiful, the house unity being portrayed, and it warmed Hermione's heart.

On the opposite wall of the entrance hall was an arched door way which lead to a stair well, going up the stairs led to a balcony that went around the whole room. The balcony was wide and windows lined the walls. By one window was a black and maroon chair with a small silver table in the middle of them, and a maroon rug went the whole way on the balcony, covering the cold stone floor. Going a little farther across the balcony you could see a little kitchen living space in another arched door way, with a little dining table in it, which Hermione thought was an interesting addition. Walking forward until about halfway across the balcony were three doors. Hermione walked to the first door, opening it and entering into a Gryiffindor themed room, a four poster bed with the maroon covers and canopy; a shimmer of gold in the soft fabric, the mahogany dresser and wardrobe set, and the full length mirror in the corner reminded her so much of her old dormitory. Hermione couldn't help but smile at the room.

To her right was another door, which led to a grand bathroom that attached both of the rooms. It was all stone, even the bathtub. There was a stall which held a toilet and sink on the outside of the stall and next to it a huge space that had six shower heads surrounding the wall and a glass door to the shower. The bathtub was at least half the size of a swimming pool and sunk into the ground with gold taps surrounding the right and left side of the tub. It was rather impressive, and there were cut out shelves in the wall that held towels, bath robes, soap, bath oil, bath powder, bath salts, shampoo, conditioner and hair spray. It was well stocked in everything and Hermione couldn't help but let her mouth drop. On one wall across from the tub, the whole wall was a mirror giving you sight to the whole room. It was breathtaking, and looking up the ceiling was charmed like the Hogwarts dining hall and there were candles for a ceiling which illuminated the entire room with a gentle glow. This is where she was most likely going to spend a lot of time reading, so peaceful and the smell of the bath soaps so calming, it would be perfect.

Smiling she walked out of the bathroom and back to her bedroom and went to go tackle all the junk on her bed. Her trunk full of clothes and then boxes of books, parchment, quills and ink. Although she had tried insisting to Draco that she only needed 2 quills and it would be the simple white ones but he objected and bought her the expensive black ones that had jewels attached tot he feathers, it would have lasted all year and been just fine but still he bought seven of them; which Hermione was furious about but he wouldn't stop smiling so she stayed quiet about it. Then her parchment paper had gold in the paper, actually in it! It made Hermione roll her eyes, why on earth did there need to be fancy floral designs in gold on a piece of paper that she would write on and then have thrown away later by a professor. Then her dress robes, good gracious what an odyssey that had been. She only needed 5 of them, and one pair of fancy dress robes; but Draco had insisted on three pairs of her fancy dress robes, which he had the blouse custom made of silk, and then got her 24 regular dress robes. And her actual robes that she would throw on over the dress uniforms he had her name sown into them. There was no way to argue with him about it at all.

Hermione opened the trunk to reveal her dress robes and regular attire. Taking out a pair of jeans she began to fold them and put everything away into its designated spot, hanging all the dress robe items in the wardrobe closet. It was moments like this where life didn't seem complicated, although everything was complicated. However, just the other day she felt five years old again with no care in the world, that she could be whoever she wanted, it was like when you were younger and everyone was your friend because it didn't matter. Those were the days. Now these days held darkness, death, rumors, betrayal and so much more. How things had changed indeed.

It wasn't as if she had asked for all this change, or that she had asked to be a Veela mate, but it was just how it was and people could either accept everything or believe the lies they told themselves. It would be a hard thing for people to grasp onto, she knew that in her heart the best things he could do was be kind to them and treat Draco like he is no better than anyone else but just human; prove that she hadn't changed and was still her just certain circumstances made her adjust her life to fit into those circumstances.

While putting a dress shirt on a hanger she heard a knock on the door. "Come in." She said.

The door gently open, "Do you like it?" Draco's voiced carried to her, making her smile.

Setting down the shirt and hanger she turned, leaning against the bed post, and looked at Draco. "I love it actually. I am rather surprised that it seems to have more of my house colors than yours, no green. Not that I am complaining, the green would have made it look a tad bit like Christmas."

Draco chuckled at her comment, "That would be my doing. I figured you missed your house and so I requested that it be decorated more to your house colors than mine."

"That means a lot to me. Thank you." Hermione walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his chest. She would never get tired of touching him, holding him; the little intimate moments.

Draco pulled away from her smiling, "Wants help?"

"You don't have to, your company would suffice."

"Oh I would die of boredom then." He smirked going over to the bed and continuing hanging up clothes, Hermione just smiled at him.

By the time they were completely done it had been a little over an hour later, and Draco hadn't complained once. Hermione liked doing things the Muggle way and he didn't seem to mind, they would just talk, or sometimes stay silent and give each other little looks while working; quite peaceful. All her clothes were put away in the correct spot, jeans in one drawer, tanks in another , shirts in another so on and so forth. Her books were in alphabetical order on the bookshelf that sat next to her desk. On her desk held her parchment paper and a crystal cup that held all her quills, her purse hanging off the back of the chair. The room came together rather nicely, it was beginning to look like home. The only thing that was missing was the pictures of her family on the desk or bedside table like she used to have, but all those were in her purse; which had been missing since she had been dragged into Malfoy Manor. The thought made a lump in her throat, which she cleared quickly.

Draco smiled at her, "So after pulling a few strings and Severus being my God father and headmaster, we have all the same classes together. Now we can be together like we were all the time at the Manor."

"Good." Hermione said, offering a tired smile and sitting on the bed; leaning her curly head against the bed post.

"Good? That's it?" Draco asked appalled. "After all the trouble I went through and you don't even want to look at the schedule. Unbeleivable! Is there no end to your ungrateful wrath?" He sighed dramatically throwing himself upon the bed next to her and propping himself up on his elbow.

"I trust you with my schedule so stop the dramatics." She smiled. "Besides you are one of the smartest people in school and I doubt you would be taking classes that didn't challenge you, you have high expectations for yourself I have noticed."

"You know me so well." He smirked, tapping her on the nose. "What would you like to do?"

"Sleep. Big day today and even longer day tomorrow."

"I've noticed to you only want to sleep." He frowned.

"Look, you try getting at most 4 hours a sleep a night for months, running for your life constantly, not having hardly any food to survive on and then tell me you are not tired."

"I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that, it just worries me sometimes. Regardless I am not letting you go to sleep just yet. I have a surprise for you." Draco snapped his fingers and a long sleek black box appeared with a silver bow tied around it. He held it in his palm and waited for her to grab it.

Hermione smiled back at him, her fingers gently pulling on one flap of the silver bow undoing the entire thing, then she lifted the lid to reveal an item so precious to her she stopped breathing. She had expected a neckalace or something but instead it was better, it was her wand; made of vine wood and dragon heartstring, it lay in the box at 10 ¾ length, a leaf design swirling around the grip at the end of the wand. It was calling to her, and with shaking fingers she grabbed it, almost screaming in excitement as she felt the power of her wand going through her veins. Draco's wand was good enough for her while she used it, it did the job, it just wasn't her wand. A witches and wizards wand is what makes said witch or wizard themselves its their identity. It felt so light in her hand but still held a nice wight to her, and her fingers just itched to do some magic.

"Thank you." She whispered, still in awe.

"You are welcome." Draco sat up, kissed her forehead and walked out of the room through the joined bathroom to give her some time alone. He knew the importance of ones wand and if he ever found himself without his, he would be lost.

Hermione sat for few moments still in shock, but shock wouldn't do magic. Jumping up from the bed she flicked her wand towards her body and instantly she was in her pajamas, which consisted of a pair of boxers and a t-shirt both given to her by Draco, and then she walked to the door. It was time to do something a little more challenging, like protection spells. She was safe as could be at Hogwarts , its just the charms were advanced and she wanted to feel that power go through her again.

Liftingup her wand she began chanting the Caterwauling Charm to make sure she would be warned of intruders, highly unlikely that there would be any; but knowing that once it was triggered the charm would send off a loud shreiking noise to warn her, she decided a Muffilato Charm would be useful so she wouldn't get awaken by the noise. She chose to to an Imperturbable Charm to make sure no one would enter the room, even though no one would any time soon but it was rather fun putting together all these charms again and using magic, it reminded her of her days with Harry and Ron; making sure they were hidden and safe by using charm after charm. She loved watching the blue and white light seep from her wand and guard her room, it was peaceful. And she rather fancied the idea of being able to not hear Draco get up in the morning because of the silencing charm, she could sleep in; which she didn't get to do because she would wake up to the loud shower at his house and then stay up, blasted noise.

Setting her wand on her night stand she curled into bed under the thick comforter with a smile on her face, yeah things were hard right now, yeah she had to deal with things that were a waste of time; but the little things in life are what counted now, the little enjoyments. Stealing kisses from Draco, holding his hand, getting a glimpse at her friends and knowing they were alright, in school learning again, being Head Girl, and having her wand; all these little things were adding up. And even though there were bigger problems in the world out there at the moment it was a good idea to try and remember the good things until the war hit the final storm. It was good not to loose all enjoyment from life, it was okay to feel happy despite her brain trying to guilt her by saying it was wrong. And with those final thoughts she dozed off into sleep.

Draco sat on his bed in a huff, it had been a long and presumtuously annoying day with everything that had gone on and despite his good attitude for Hermione he was angry still and just waiting to boil over. Yet something about her hadn't let him, he assumed it was the Veela in him, but at the same time it wouldn't make sense to blow up at her when she didn't do anything wrong anyway so he would just depend on his cronies to take his rage and deal with it. it. But so far, apart from stares and the couple of comments, their arrival at school hadn't been that bad. He just tried to keep Hermione engaged in conversation to ignore the looks and rude remarks, although he was fairly certain she heard them anyway.

Everything was different now that they were mates, but still things didn't seem completely right. Like once when you become one you are suppose to get along nearly all the time and not argue yet Hermione had no problem yelling at him, and the option of leaving one another, well it wasn't even suppose to be an option. There were curious things to their new found relationship and Draco suspected it had something to do with the myths that didn't turn out to be myths after all. Either way things were different and he was going to have to look at the library to get his questioned answered.

Draco was trying desperately to adjust to all of it and it was going rather well all things considered. He was even learning all his Veela traits, he had read about them but hadn't even put them in use. An example of sorts would be feeling what Hermione feels and being able to help adjust those feelings if they were too much for her. But again, he could feel what she felt but he couldn't change her feelings which pissed him off to no end. It would have saved a lot of arguments. He could get his fangs whenever he wanted, with poison or without was his choice, but his wings were another story. When he had given Hermione space to get into the common room and situated he attempted to make the wings appear but they didn't, even the tell tale sign of the shoulder blades burning before the change didn't happen.

But despite all the obstacles he was happy, life was horrible and the things that could go wrong did, but every little moment counted and made him happy. He would change everything for Hermione even though he didn't have to, as long as she smiled then he was doing his job. It was all a strange concept though, how much he changed and was so quick to turn on his family if they so much as hurt her. He was turning out to be nothing like his father for that matter, and he couldn't be more grateful.

Lucious Malfoy was Veela himself and his wife Narcissa was his mate, and over the years they were in love but they hid it well, it was like affection to each other in front of another was a sin. Draco didn't want to be like that, he wanted everyone to know that Hermione was his and that he loved her to the ends of the earth and back. After this war was over he was going to get her a dream house and a dog and marry her, it was going to be a big deal in the Wizarding World, her being apart of the Golden Trio and he being a Death Eater; they both came from different worlds and it didn't even matter.

Kicking off his shoes he laid back in a relaxed position, his hands locked behind his

head and eyes closed. For the first time in almost three years he felt like he was excited for class and to see Hermione in her element. Granted watching her read was entertaining, how she got so lost in anything she read; but he was looking foreward to seeing her excitement on learning and taking notes, the sparkle she was going to get from the new information. He could just imagine her scribbling away quickly and biting on the end of her quill, her brows furrowed in concentration even though she easily understood it. It made him smile thinking about it.

He suddenly heard Hermione's screams going through the air and immediately he shot out of bed and headed to her room, bolting through the bathroom door grabbing the handle on her own door and trying to jiggle it, but it was of no use it was locked. He tried unlocking it with his wand but it was rejected, running out of the bathroom and into the hall to her bedroom door he tried again. Nothing happened. He began pounding on the door like a mad man. The whimpers beyond the door were the same whimpers he heard at Malfoy Manor when she was tortured.

"I didn't steal anything!" She cried.

"Hermione!" He pounded again, shouting as loud as he could. "Wake up, its just a dream!" Then her broken scream happened again and his Veela went into straight panic, he felt her uneasiness and not being able to do anything about it made it all the worse. He kept pounding on the door, shouting spells to unlock the door or tear it down but everything was rejected and eventually his exhaustion took over and he slid down the door, leaning against it to wait it out. Her screams were ringing over and over in his head as he fell asleep.

_ The wand pierced her stomach and she could feel the ripple of dark magic pour through her, it was like her insides were on fire and she was ripping apart and healing only to be ripped apart again. And despite how gruesome the torture was everyone just stood and watched with smiles on their face. As she fell to the floor Bellatrix climbed on top of her._

_ "You should learn not to steal Mudblood." She hissed._

_ "I didn't steal anything!" She cried._

_ Hermione attempted to pull away as much as possible but Bellatrix proved to be heavy on her, and then the cold blade of a knife made her hold still as possible. The eyes of Bellatrix were black and wide, almost like a rabid wolves eyes, she looked ready to kill. _

_ "This one never knows when to stop talking." She chuckled, smiling at the Death Eaters in the room, before quickly taking her blade and slicing Hermione's throat, blood splashing all over her face._

Hermione woke up with a start, covered in sweat and her body aching; her face wet with tears. The nightmare had been absoloutly dreadful, no Draco to save her this time. It was the first time she had dreamed the event in vivid detail, and the charm she set to wake her up from a nightmare had not worked of course. Now she was shaking from head to toe and all she wanted was Draco for comfort. She pushed back the comforter and took slow, shaky steps to the door opening it, only to have a groggy Draco be right in front of her on the floor for her to trip over.

Draco felt a slight pain in his knee and looked up to see a pale Hermione. He stood up immediately, not touching her but just looking at her sad face. "It was awful." She whispered walking into his arms.

Draco nodded his head in understanding even though she couldn't see it and held her firmly before picking her up in his arms and bringing her too his bedroom, tucking her shaky form into his bed while he took of his pants and shorts before crawling in next to her. He pulled her quivering body to him and kissed her head. "I tried to wake you up. Why did you put up those charms?"

"Nothing against you," She sniffed. "I just wanted to use magic, complex magic not simple magic like quickly changing out of clothes."

"I'm not angry with you. Don't do it again thought I couldn't stand not getting to you. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." She said burying herself deeper into his chest.

"Hermione, tell me what it was about."

"No."

Draco leaned onto his side to face her, cupping her face in his hand. "I can't help you if you wont let me in."

"It was just a nightmare Draco, I don't need help with it."

"Tell me please." He whispered. "It will help eventually I promise, just open yourself up to me."

Taking a deep breath Hermione looked up at his face. "It was Bellatrix again."

"And?"

"I died." She whispered turning her body so her back was pressed against Draco's chest as she cried silently.

He didn't push her anymore, it was a lost battle with a slight victory. She opened up a little and that was a start, she had her own reasons for not opening up completely just as he had his own and if she wanted to talk about it he would be all ears, but he would wait for her to come to him. Occasionally trying to get her to talk of course because he was a Slytherin and well, they didn't give up that easily.

"Good night Hermione." He kissed her head one last time before closing his eyes and falling asleep, his heart content having her warm body next to his and finally tired.

Hermione wasn't so lucky.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

_**AUTHORS NOTE: Just some loving in this chapter while I figure out how to deal with whats gonna happen next, if it should get concluded soon if something bad should happen, I have a million thoughts going on in my brain and its just getting crazy, but with work plus everything else its just ridiculous how busy I find myself, almost scary really. But thank you for sticking around, much appreciated and the next chapter should be coming up really soon this time.**_

Hermione awoke with a large stretch, ignoring the mumbling Draco next to her. She hadn't slept well after her nightmare, instead she stayed up paranoid and when she did fall asleep she and nightmares. Staying call and collected about how she was feeling on everything that was happening was turning out to be difficult and borderline impossible since Draco had known she had a nightmare last night. He was discovering the truth, despite how collected she appeared in real life she wasn't.

Letting out a long breath she looked at the crack of light coming through the black curtains, the only thing that showed the room. Looking around Hermione had to stifle a laugh because it seemed as if Slytherin had thrown up in here. Even her room wasn't strongly themed of her house colors, it was just a light decoration; but this room was all green, black and silver. The desk was black, the bookshelves, the bed posts, the flooring, the wardrobe set and the dresser drawers . It was all black. His bed had a silver canopy that hung in a mass of silk and his comforter a deep green with silver designs in them, and black pillows throwing the room together. It was definitely Slytherin, that was for sure.

Turning around in Draco's arms she came face to face with him, "Draco?" She whispered.

It was clear that he was awake, his breathing had changed and his eyes were moving behind his eyelids. He was just ignoring Hermione and trying to fall back asleep. Hermione took her finger and poked his chest multiple times to annoy him and when that didn't work she took her other pointer finger and went back and forth poking him all over, getting his nose, cheek, chest, ear and chin. After about thirty seconds of this Draco's hand snatched Hermione's wrist and his eyes were snapped open.

"Seriously? Like really?"

Hermione gave him a smile and a peck on the lips. "Yes."

Draco smirked at her and used the hand on her lower back to pull her closer to him, planting his lips on hers passionately. He rolled onto his back and Hermione the motion caused Hermione to end up on top of him, her body against his hard body made her moan. She tangled her fingers in his hair and kissed along his jaw line, and that's when she felt his Veela come to life igniting an invisible line between then that pulled herself to him, and she couldn't help but smile. She pulled away from his mouth and looked at the silver pools he called eyes.

"Morning."

"Morning." He smiled back, his hand snaking its way into her hair and pulling her down to his mouth again.

It was astounding how easily they lost themselves when they were kissing and how on fire Hermione felt. She never believed she would have such a desire to be with someone, such a need, and be comfortable with it. Before Hermione knew it she was flipped onto her back and was could feel his warm chest press against hers, the need for more contact made Hermione wrap her legs around his hip, his erection pressing against her causing her to moan louder. She pulled away, heavy breaths coming out of her mouth as she kissed her neck.

"Draco, we have to stop."

He pulled out of her neck and looked at her in disappointment. "Alright." He complied.

"Thank you." She sat up and after he got off and hopped out of bed.

Draco looked at her, his hair messed up from her hands running through it caused Hermione to smile at how boyish he looked. "Where are you going?" He asked.

"Shower." She said with a wink before walking off.

Hermione made her way over to the door and went into the bathroom, going straight to the glass doors and turning on the water, all the six shower heads turning on in one large warm waterfall. Hermione stepped into the steaming water and just as predicted she heard the bathroom door open and Draco walked in. Peeking through the fogged up glass door she saw him grab two towels, wash cloths and shampoo; bringing them over by the shower. When he caught sight of her he froze, his eyes obviously scanning her body.

She had never just stood in front of him naked, the time after they had made love he brought her to the bathroom and got a bath ready for her, and they bathed other times but not showering, not just standing bare in front of each other in the shower; normally she was always in private when she showered. The idea of being in front of her like this scared her and excited her and the conflicting feelings resulted in Hermione turning around and bringing herself completely under the water, pulling her fingers through the tangle of curls. She loved how long her hair looked when it was wet, making it down half of her back. While she rinsed her hair she felt, rather than heard, Draco open the door and come in. She turned her head slowly to look at him and he didn't waste a moment before grabbing her shoulders to turn her around, picking her up and slamming her into the stone wall; his mouth attacking her throat all the way to her lips and Hermione instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist.

"You shouldn't tease me." He growled into her ear, biting her ear lobe.

Hermione just moaned in response and took his mouth in hers again her tongue fighting for dominance and contact. It was their familiar battle and never tired of it. Her legs, wet from the water, were slipping in their lock around Draco, but it wasn't deterring them from what they wanted. She could feel every part of him, he was so close to her and all she wanted was for them to become one, and her grinding into him gave him a pretty good idea that she wanted him.

He pulled away and made eye contact with Hermione, her eyes were glazed over and lust filled. This was one of his favorite sides of her, there were no boundaries and she let it all go; and only he ever saw this part of her. He kept his eyes on hers as he slowly slid them onto the stone floor of the shower, laying Hermione on her back gently, the war tile welcome, and her hair widely spread out. She looked up at him through the dripping water that cascaded all over Draco, he looked like an angel, He kissed her again, cupping her cheek so tenderly and stroking her sides with his other hand.

Hermione detached her mouth from his, a serious expression on her face. "What is it love?" Draco asked, placing a gentle kiss on her nose.

" I don't want this to end. "

"It wont." He assured her.

" I don't want you to tire of me." She said sadly, stroking his teeth with the pad of her thumb. Then she reached between their bodies and placed him at her entrance, then she kept strong eye contact with him as he pushed into her.

Despite the fact that they had sex before he was still large and it still hurt for the first few moments, but it was a good kind of hurt. The full kind, that ultimately led to happiness and pleasure. Draco always waited for her to get comfortable, and he always was tender and soft with her; she was always on bottom, every time. For a briefly moment she wondered if he was bored of her, but that thought was quickly banished when he moved inside of her.

He kissed her breasts tenderly as he thrust slowly into her, taking each perky nipple in his mouth and giving it special attention. Each stroke of his tongue made Hermione go fuzzy for a moment and she was increasingly happy when he pulled away from her chest and gave her a smile before collapsing his chest against hers and kissing her mouth, his tongue memorizing every single inch of her.

Hermione stopped moving for a second, her thoughts giving her a rather good idea. Draco looked at her confused and wanted to ask if she was okay, but before he said anything she reached between their bodied pushing him out of her. Immediately she missed the contact, but it wasn't long before Hermione pushed Draco's shoulders until he understood to go on his back, Hermione crawling on him and straddling him. She wanted him to have something different.

Draco looked up at her in amazement, this was new to him; this was the one thing Hermione never took control of. He watched her raise herself on her knees, grabbing his shaft; with a shaky hand and placed it at her entrance. To Hermione it looked like he was about to burst, so she dropped from her knees and claimed his hard member, a small cry escaping her mouth as he filled her.

"Shit..." Hermione whispered, her eyes watering from a little bit of pain and little bit of pleasure.

"Hermione." Draco began, his voice raspy with want, but trying to be considerate at the same time.

"Shut up," Hermione said, not one to give up. "Just give me a moment."

Draco did as he was told, grabbing her hands and placing them on his chest for support. Then he took his own hands and rubbed her thighs gently, leading to her hips and breasts in calming strokes. The feeling of his hands on her left a trail of fire and it wasn't long until Hermione relaxed on top of him, grinding against him; a moan ripping through her body. She felt so good at this angle, every way she moved squeezed him just right; and he his every part of her, and at the pressure plus angle and movement, Draco was almost going to loose himself in her. Hermione didn't seem fazed by his eagerness, instead it pushed her forward.

She brought her hands behind her, resting them on his thighs, with her head thrown back as she ground into him harder and harder. Their flesh was slapping together in an erotic heat, the water spraying all over them, making their bodies slide together at a faster than normal pace. Hermione wanted more friction, but she was tiring out. Draco sensing this flipped them around quickly and he thrust into her faster and faster, each stroke hitting her deeper and creating a wave of pleasure.

Hermione felt her body start to shake, she knew it was coming and it was going to be big. This was the wettest she had ever been before and the warmth of Draco inside her was only turning her on more. Draco had his head buried into her neck whispering sweet words with occasional kisses, and Hermione bit gently into his shoulder to stifle her noises. She felt Draco harden even more inside of her if that was possible, he was close and he wanted to see her face as she came for him. Raising himself up with one hand he upped her face with the other and watched her as he thrust frantically in her.

Her walls clenched around him and he lost it groaning and releasing himself at the same time as Hermione screamed his name, arching herself off the shower floor, her body twitching as waves of wonderful bliss hit her. Draco reveled in her facial expressions, she had a slight smile on her face and her eyes were closed, her cheeks flushed a nice tender pink. When she opened her eyes they shone brightly and full of sudden shyness

Pulling out of her Draco kissed her gently and Hermione was surprised to find that he was still hard inside her. " You are insatiable."

"I'm sorry love." He whispered against her lips.

Hermione looked up lovingly at him and smiled. "I'm not." She claimed his lips in a silent plea for him to take her all over again, and Draco was much too obliged.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

By the time they had gotten into their first class of the day, defense against the dark arts, Hermione and Draco had made love two more times. His stamina was ridiculous and her want for him was just as much so. But Hermione couldn't have been happier, it was a heck of a way to start off her first day. They finished their shower after the second round, he washed her hair and her body and she did the same to him, and by the time they got out it was already time for breakfast. Then they started getting dresses and well, they found themselves detained once more. Hermione's fear of Draco getting tired of her was long gone by this point, if he could do this with her three times in just one morning and still want more, then he could love her like this for the rest of their lives surely.

After they ate and went to class he was a perfect gentlemen. He grabbed her book bag and carried it for her, engaging her in conversation to ignore more stares, he listened to things he didn't really care about but did because she was saying them and then he discovered that, rather impressively, she brewed Polyjuice potion second year and that Weasel and Potter had spied on him. She told him rather sheepishly as if he was going to get mad but instead he just laughed because when he thought back on it it made sense that they weren't Crabbe and Goyle. Goyle couldn't read! Then arriving in glass Draco found a table in the front, for her sake, and pulled out a chair for her to sit in.

And that's how the morning went. Rather smoothly in Hermione's opinion. She bent over to grab her quill and parchment, setting them gently on the desk in front of her and noticed that Draco had his book out in the middle of the table for them to share. He gave her a cheeky grin before grabbing the bottom of her chair and pulling her closer to him so she could 'get a better look' at the text.

The door of the classroom burst open and Hermione looked to see who the new teacher was and became shocked when she saw Amycus Carrow. She looked at Draco, her eyes wide.

"He wants us dead." She whispered.

"He wont do anything." He whispered back, his hand squeezing her knee reassuringly.

Regardless, Hermione left her head down not making eye contact, her quill in hand and taking notes of that Professor Carrow was saying. " Morning class. Last evening Professor Snape decided that it would be imperative for you all to learn the unforgivable curses. We will start today and master them, upon mastering them you will be tested. In these times there is no room for weakness and failure, if you succeed your life shall be spared and you will join the Dark Lords forces, which might just save your pathetic lives." He chuckled.

Hermione's head snapped up and immediately their eyes locked. "Ah if it isn't the Mudblood that got me Crucioed." He growled, walking over to her desk and leaning on it. "How is our new Death Eater fairing?" He smiled at her.

Hermione heard a collective amount of gasps and mutters throughout the room and her head went down in shame. "Fine, sir." She whispered.

Amycus grabbed her chin and made her look up, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."

Hermione jerked her chin out of his grasp, he wasn't the Dark Lord, he couldn't kill her as much as he wanted to without repercussions, '_Such as death' _Hermione thought with slight happiness and relief. "It is going splendid, Professor." She spat.

He glared at her, "Good." He turned back to the front of the class room, a suddenly friendly smile on his face, and began talking cheerfully about the unforgivable curses even though no one was listening but rather staring at Hermione. "You all know what they are Crucio, Imperius, and Avada Kadavra. They are all called unforgivable, which is foolish because without them the worlds greatest wizards wouldn't be a success. Now Crucio is to cause pain in a torture form which leads the individual to come to a breaking point where they will reveal just about anything to survive. This is a good spell, if someone were threatening to harm their family unless they did a certain task, this would be able to get that information out of the individual and help them. Understand?"

Hermione felt like she was going to vomit, he was actually trying to justify why these spells were good, but no one was seeing the point, which; to her, was a relief. Releasing an aggravated sigh he continued, " Look at it this way, if someone is being told potentially dangerous information that could hurt a group of people, this curse would make them come to a breaking point which would result in them telling us that information and lives could be saved."

A couple of students nodded their heads in understanding and Hermione felt ashamed to call them her fellow seventh years, how could they be so stupid? Then a daring kid in the back raised his hand. "Pardon me Professor, but if its as helpful as you say why are they called unforgivable?"

Amycus smacked his hands together and smiled. "Perfect question dear boy, because they do not understand what they do not know. They fear the spells."

Hermione glared at him, her hand slapping the table. "For a reason. They fear those spells for a reason!" Hermione yelled, making everyone jump in the room. Draco grabbed her hand squeezing it in warning but Hermione paid no mind. "Those spells hurt people, torture them and kill. They should be feared and they should be unforgivable. To think of them as helpful or in any other way is foolish on your part Professor. You should know they don't help after all, the Dark Lord himself used Crucio on you." She spat out in a viscous triumph.

Amycus looked ablaze but attempted to keep his temper in check. "You know not of what you speak of girl."

"I know plenty."

"Hermione..." Draco began, resting a hand on her shoulder which she promptly shoot off.

"He did it because you spoke out of line, he did it to shut you up, not to help anybody." She threw back.

"It helped you and your lover didn't it?" He gestured to Hermione and Draco.

"He doesn't want any followers uprising, you know that and he will kill you if he has to prevent it."

"That is enough Miss. Granger!" He roared. " Fifty points from Gryffindor." Hermione scowled at him but rather than speak any more she looked back down at her parchment, angry tears in her eyes and listened to the Death Eater gone Professor, drone on.

"As I was saying, Cruico can help people in different ways. Imperius, it controls the mind and body to think and act a certain way, while I can see this being easily misused it is also a great weapon. If you have a auror who is afraid to go on a mission this spell can make him do that mission without fear and failure. It is imperative that when on a mission you don't become obvious or you will be found out and that is what this spell helps with, covering up any signs of weakness that will result in your cover being blown. Avada Kadavra, the killing curse. This spell has saved many lives. Without it many more people would be dead. This spell is top notch defense if I do say so myself." After his talk on each spell he went into detail on whom created the spell and why they did so, slowly winning over every student in the room to thinking they were good, made for good.

Hermione didn't listen too much on this, it only made her angry, so she pretended the day was a normal day and instead wrote random thoughts on her parchment paper instead of notes. She noticed often that Draco glanced at her, waiting for her anger to spur her into another fit of rage. He didn't want her to do it, but he also knew that if he stopped her from expressing herself that she would get angry at him and he didn't want that either. The only thing he could do was make sure she stayed safe. But his blood ran cold as the professor announced that they needed an example and asked Hermione to go up there.

Totally oblivious to the professor calling her she kept on writing, but stopped abruptly when a hand slammed on her desk scaring her out of her wits. She looked up and saw a smiling Amycus Carrow looking at her like he was going to eat her up in one bite. "Miss. Granger, glad you could join us. I was just saying I needed a student to come and be an example. Would you mind?" He fake asked.

Hermione stood up and Amycus immediately grabbed the back of her neck, throwing her in front of the class room, Draco stood as well but a wand pointed at Hermione made him stop. "Another move Malfoy and I will kill her."

Hermione gave Draco a feeble smile before looking straight into the eyes of the students before her, letting them know she was not afraid. Some looked at her with pity, some shock, others with laughter in their eyes and some didn't know how to feel at all and settled for looking plain uncomfortable.

"This is strictly for educational purposes only." He said to Hermione, offering her a fake smile. "This may hurt a bit, but only for a moment."

Hermione was fuming inside, she just wanted to rip him apart into small pieces. "Of course Professor."

In a matter of moments Hermione crumpled to the ground screaming, and a flash of memories hit her straight on. It was like it was all replaying in her mind, everything that happened at Malfoy Manor. She saw Bellatrix, she felt the pain, saw herself looking down to find a wand inside of her and then she felt her insides breaking. Nothing could compare that pain of that day to anything else, but this is without a doubt still beyond painful.

Students around the room had their hands over their ears to block out the screaming, others had excused themselves to go be sick and a couple were sitting there with their mouths open in shock. They couldn't believe what they were hearing, the combine of Hermione's screams plus the sound of breaking bones was traumatizing, and the way her body flipped around on the floor in unnatural movements was sickening.

But it soon stopped and Hermione was left panting on the floor, a layer of sweat on her brow, with her jaw set in a firm defiance. "Now that wasn't so bad was it?" Amycus purred above her, looking at her pathetic and limp body.

"No professor." She slowly got to her feet, with great effort and looked him right in the eye. "Good demonstration."

Amycus continued with his smile but his eyes, with a flash of anger, showed the truth. "Then lets continue shall we." He laid a hand on her shoulder and turned back to the class. " This was a demonstration which had no benefits, but if I were to ask a question and she refused to answer, I could keep doing this spell until she did."

Hermione looked at Draco with fear but he was grounded to his spot, anger filling his eyes and his nostrils flaring. He couldn't move because if he did, Carrow was going to kill her. But the truth was, Hermione knew it, that Carrow wouldn't do that for penalty for him would be death, but he could surely put Draco under the Imperius curse to do what was told, and upon figuring this out Hermione felt a wave of fear and turned her attention back to Amycus.

"Now, I will ask you only once and if you do not tell you will have consequences." Taking a deep breath and smiling at her he said, "Where is Potter?"

Hermione was taken aback, surely this wasn't a real question was it? She had no clue where Harry and Ron had gone off too and she hadn't for weeks. "Professor I don't know."

"Crucio." Hermione's screams echoed only for a moment before the Professor continued. "Now Miss. Granger, that couldn't have been pleasant. Lets agree not to lie to each other and this can all be over with. Now you were the last one to know his location, where is he?"

Hermione got on her knees and looked up at him, "I don't know." She whispered with tears in her eyes. "I haven't talked to them since my arrival at Malfoy Manor." It was different for Hermione, the sadness she felt this time around. Before she knew she was lying and being 'punished' for those lies; this time she knew she wasn't lying and knew Amycus was aware of that as well, but rather he was pressing the subject and making her feel helpless.

The spell shot through the air and Hermione heard a student speak up, "Professor perhaps she's telling you the truth." The words were unheard to Amycus, he just kept hold of the spell with his smile growing bigger at each scream, then drop when he released the spell.

Hermione was a mess, she was curled into a ball holding herself and crying, "Stop please, I'll do anything."

"Tell me where Potter is!" He screamed.

"I don't know anything!" Hermione screamed back with such force the students in the room jumped despite hearing her painful screams moments before. She was tough, they would give her that; even if she was crying now. She cried to herself and whimpered, "Draco."

At that moment a roar came and Amycus was flying across the room as Draco got out of his seat in a rage. Hermione reached out her shaky hands for him to take, kneeling in front of her he pulled her into his arms, then looked back at Amycus who was just straightening himself up. "Touch her again, and you will die." He threatened, heading to the door to leave.

Amycus righted himself and looked shocked but quickly composed it in front of the students that he had forgotten existed in the room, he was just so Hell bent on hurting the Mudblood he lost his control. "You can not leave this room."

Draco glared back at him, " I am taking her to the infirmary, Code 206 in Heads of Hogwarts: If any student is in need of medical assistance another student or an appointed Head is allowed to leave without permission." Then he turned and walked away leaving the Professor dumbstruck.

Draco looked at Hermione shaking in his arms, "Are you alright?"

"I will be." She whispered and looked up at him, "How did you get free?"

"Noticed that did you? Yes, it all happened so fast I didn't have time to deflect the curse. Essentially what happened was my Veela, and I, knew you needed me but since the curse is so strong we needed you to want it bad enough; to call to me like you did in order for the curse to break free."

"Why didn't your wings appear?"

"I don't know," He said, his brows drawn together. "I've tried to get them to appear on command like I should be able to but it hasn't been working."

"I'm sorry, that must be frustrating." She whimpered as another tremor shook her little frame.

"That's not something you should be sorry about, you should be sorry for provoking Carrow in such a way that he decided to hurt you." He said, holding her tighter.

Hermione sniffled, "I'm sorry about that too. It was foolish but I was angry and the fact of the matter is, I believe he would have done it regardless of me speaking out of line or not. Didn't you hear what he said at the beginning? 'If it wasn't the Mudblood that got me Crucioed.' He is holding a grudge and is still angry about it."

"Yes, I gathered that. I want you to stay away from him. And we are missing the rest of the day today, you need to rest." Draco said, continuing quickly before she could protest. "I will have someone grab all of the school work so you can do it periodically throughout the day, and I know you are already ahead of all the seventh years in intelligence so it shouldn't be a problem."

Before Hermione could speak anymore on the subject Draco had her at Madam Pomfrey's infirmary, and the pacing Madam Pomfrey was doing ceased immediately when she saw Hermione's convulsing body in Draco's Arms. "Miss. Granger?" She rushed over to them which created Draco to release a warning growl startling Pomfrey as realization hit, Draco had found his mate.

For months Draco had been coming in and getting a tonic that would help him sleep, one that would help him deal with the pain his bodily changes were causing him, the pain his separation from his mate was causing him and the depression of not having his mate was causing him. They had become quite friendly with one another and she saw a little side to him that no one else really saw, in fact she looked at him as a grandson perhaps. Hearing him laugh at something he saw in his dream, watching him smile in fondness just thinking of her, and of course being there when he was crying for not having her. Draco Malfoy had showed quite the human side to himself and she had learned he was not at all who everyone thought he was, she was one of the first people he let in and she learned about his past and accepted him wholeheartedly. In short they had an understanding with one another.

Draco laid Hermione on the bed, "Professor Carrow made an example of her. The Cruciatus curse."

Madam Pomfrey gasped in shock then looked at Hermione shaking on the bed, " , she shouldn't be shaking like this. How long did it go on?"

"Not terribly long, but this isn't the first time. Malfoy Manor was her worst go of it." Draco went into the retelling of what had happened that night and followed Pomfrey around answering her questions as she went around getting potions and various herbs.

"Alright , I am going to give you a potion that relieve pain, one that stops tremors and a sleeping draught. That is the best way to deal with this right now, then after this bit is dealt with I want you to keep coming back so we can see if there are any other things that need to be dealt with. I would check for other injuries or ailments but seeing as this one is so strong it would be the only one magic would pick up."

Hermione nodded and reached out her hand for Draco to grasp, "I'm sorry, can you help me sit up."

"Don't be sorry." He gently lifted her up and leaned her against the pillows.

Hermione took the first potion, noticing it didn't taste bad and neither did the second potion but the sleeping Draught tasted awful and Hermione almost threw up from it, barely managing to swallow it down, but quickly feeling its effects.

"Is there anything else I can do for you dear?" Pomfrey asked.

Hermione shook her head no and turned in lazily towards Draco, "Can we go back to our room?" She murmured.

Draco looked at Madam Pomfrey for approval and once she gave the okay he scooped her up into his arms and looked at the peaceful girl, "We can sweetheart. Anything else you would like?"

"Mhmm. Two things."

"Whats that?" Draco had to stop himself from laughing at her drowsy state, she was acting as if she had had several shots of Firewhiskey and about ready to pass out.

"Well, first a kiss." Hermione yawned. "Second, Veela books, anything you find really. Your library sucked." She whispered dozing off.

"Both doable." He smiled at her sleeping form, kissing her mouth lightly and carrying her back to the common room.

* * *

Hermione woke up to the crackling of fire, her body sore as hell but she felt very rested. There was a warm being next to her and she turned her head, finding her face in the stomach of Draco's. She took a deep breath of him and turned on her side, nuzzling her head into his stomach a little more finding comfort in his being.

"Good of you to join the land of the living." Draco chuckled.

"How long was I out?"

"A long while, love. How do you feel?"

Hermione stretched out her body so see where things hurt, to pinpoint the main source but it was everywhere. "I am alright, stiff I suppose."

Draco ran his fingers through her hair thoughtfully. " We have more potions if you want them."

"No thanks."

"Well than what do you want? Food, homework, books or sleep. Those are you options, love."

"Books. I am not hungry or focused enough for school work and sleeping is not an option after all this time. I gladly welcome my books."

Draco reached across her head and grabbed a book on the coffee table, setting it on Hermione's lap before reaching for his own. he same one he had been working on for hours while Hermione slept.

Hermione looked at the book in her hand, '_The Timeless Tales of Veela's_' and she immediately opened it to the table of contents looking at the different chapters.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Chapter 1: Am I a Veela or not? 1-14

Chapter 2: Clues and the blues of finding ones mate 14-27

Chapter 3: Dealing with being the Mate of a Veela 27-39

Chapter 4: Mating rituals and reactions 39- 44

Chapter 5: Types of Veela couples 44- 59

Chapter 6: Mated, now what? 59- 71

Hermione's eyes darted back to the Chapter five of the book;before even seeing what other contents it held, Types of Veela couples. That was an interesting topic for her. She quickly flipped to page 44 and scanned her eyes through the headers, trying to find the specific one. She saw paragraphs on Obsession couples, Reproductive couples; which were only the ones who only had sex to have children and that was their happiness and love, Dominant couples, Content couples, the ones who liked everything the way it was, and finally Hermione came across the header Romance Couples.

_There is a popular misconception, _it read,_ that the Romance Couples are the only Veela couples that have love in their life. That is untrue. Studies show that Veela couples are head over heels with each other, but some have their purposes. Romance couples are the ones who may have dated in their younger years and just so happened to be made for each other. They are the pairs who have loved one another all along. (For more help on finding which couple category you fall under look at Mating Rituals and Reactions P. 39-44) This type of partnership is rare. It has to be an ongoing relationship or deep rooted feelings._

_ Most of the Romance couples were people who were already together and in love, but some are a couple who would have no business being together. The term soul mate explains this almost perfectly. On these rare cases you may find that the Veela bullied its mate or had resentment towards them, those feelings of distaste are there to hide the feelings of true and unadulterated love, like a shield. A veela may respond in such a manner because they themselves have never known love or fear that the one person would find good in them only to abandon them later._

_ This type of pairing is to be sacred though and treated with care. Because it is such a unique event, chucked up to being a myth in some cases, it is easily ruined. The Veela will always love its Mate, but the mate could leave the Veela at any given time. It is different from all the other pairing for this reason. That is why it is imperative, as a Veela, to treat your Mate correctly; no matter which category you fall under, and love them accordingly. There are no specific answers on how to maintain this kind of relationship, it is all dependent on the mate itself._

_ But be warned, whether Veela or Mate is reading this, the relationship can fall apart and both parties will suffer greatly from it. In normal cases, where the Veela would die right away from losing their mate, they wouldn't in this. The bond, which connects Veelas to their mates, is so strong that rather than dying they would suffer great agony on their failure to keep their mate, whom they are in love with. The mate would live a life of loneliness without their mate, but the mates feelings that resulted in their departure are so strong that they will never return to their mate. Rather they will live the rest of their life in a depressed fog, alone by themselves until the day they die._

_ That is why communication, love and will power are key to making this relationship work, how all of that comes across is all up to your abilities and effort._

Hermione felt fear strike into her heart. "What is it?" Draco asked sensing her sudden change in feeling.

"We have a problem." Hermione whispered, sitting up.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Our relationship can spoil."

"What are you talking about?" Draco asked, full of confusion.

"Draco! We could wind up separated if we aren't careful. I could hate you. Our bond could spoil!"


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The next couple of weeks had gone on as normal, students staring, snickering and being afraid of the two. It was only her and Draco, she didn't dare talk to her friends for fear of hurting them, but lately being with Draco wasn't pleasant. Something had changed between them. When Hermione had told Draco about the passage she read he looked as fearful as she did, although he tried to tell her not to worry about it. But it was plain as day that he was worried about it too, oh boy was he ever. He had just found her and couldn't imagine life without her and the fact that their whole relationship could get ruined made no sense to him, Veela's weren't suppose to be able to separate; they were suppose to stain in love. So why was this coupling so fragile? This was something he couldn't understand, but he had spent the weeks watching over Hermione, making sure that they were okay, but he didn't talk to her much, didn't ask questions. Basically he hovered over her and let her do her own thing.

Draco doing this set Hermione on edge and made her rather angry. She understood his fear deep down but it was still infuriating. He was the only person she had here, no one was really talking to her except for the timid hi's from her old friends who didn't quite believe the rumors but didn't want to get caught talking to her; and the friends who knew the truth, well she couldn't go near them. She just wanted to lash out at Draco for acting so foolish, but she did understand it so instead of yelling she immersed herself in school work and read things on Veela's and being a Veela made, to gain more understanding or perhaps find an answer to the problem.

She had learned a lot about Veela's in these weeks. Like the conception charm that was automatically put on the mate. It is tradition in the Wizarding World to wait until marriage to have sex, but Veela's don't have that luxury really. In the old ages of the Wizarding World a Veela who found their mate would get married right away, but it wasn't logical now. There was a new rule that stated you weren't allowed to get married until after school so they could move on in the Wizarding world. That rule was in place for mainly women. Hermione had learned that if you were a women in the Wizarding world you never worked. Ever. You were completely dependent on the men in your family or your spouse. Things changed though when women rebelled and eventually that rule was disposed of and the new one set in. And of course without the conception charm Hermione would have gotten pregnant and they would have been found out, although it had to have been obvious that they had already had sex, or else Draco would be dead. Some things were just plain weird in the Wizarding World.

Another thing Hermione learned was that if their bond was strong enough they would be able to communicate non-verbally. This was a design for them that ensured protection, if she were in danger and he wasn't near she could speak to him and tell him where she was, then he could find her and save her. It was a neat little trick that they had and Hermione wanted to see if they could do it,but seeing as her and Draco had this new 'thing' going on, she wasn't comfortable telling him what she discovered and didn't know how to bring it up.

And just now, siting in the great hall at dinner time, was only making it worse. Hermione had tried to start a conversation and Draco just looked at her, with his eyes wide and answered with one word; then he picked at his food. He wasn't even eating it! Nor was he making an effort in the conversation, for heaven sake's, she had just asked him what his favorite memory as a childhood was and he just mumbled. It wasn't even an audible answer! Hermione had enough. She slammed her fork down, it landing with a clatter on the plate and stood abruptly, knocking over her goblet.

"Where are you going?" Draco asked.

"I just decided that if you aren't going to talk to me, I see no reason why I should bother sitting with you."

"I was just talking to you, we got done talking a moment ago."

She bent down to him so her face was in his, "Saying mhmm after I asked you an opened ended question is not a conversation! Are you honestly that thick?" She straightened herself back up and grabbed her book bag. "If you don't like my company than I will find someone who desires it."

At this point many students had began starting at them, wondering what had happened to create an outburst. Both Draco and Hermione didn't pay any mind however, they had gotten use to the stares and whispers by now. "I do want your company." Draco replied, standing up and reaching for her.

"Really? You sure aren't acting like it. Ever since I told you what was in that stupid book you have been acting strange."

"Well if you had just shut up about it, none of this would be happening!" Draco snapped, gesturing at her with his hand.

Hermione's mouth dropped. "Seriously? You are gonna go there? I shared with you valuable information that pertains to us and you are the one who took it the wrong way!"

"So now this is my fault?" Draco growled.

" If you only acted your age it wouldn't be a problem but instead you are driving me crazy!"

Hermione shook her head in anger and turned to walk away, but Draco grabbed her arm with a growl and whirled her around. Hermione was so angry that she slapped him right across the face for handling her in such a manner. He had only grabbed her once like this and it was to prove a point to her, he had no excuses right now, and his grip was painful. Draco looked at her in surprise then his eyes went black and his grip on her arm tightened before he shoved her back into the hard stone, her head cracking on the floor. She clutched it with her hand, surprised tears in her eyes. Then Draco shook his head, his eyes clearing and going back to their normal color.

"Hermione?" He whispered in shock, taking a step towards her.

"Don't touch me." She said, scrambling to her feet and running away, leaving her back on the floor and heading to her place of solitude. The Hogwarts Library.

Hermione was so shocked and her head was pounding, a bump forming on the back of it. She had never had him touch her before like that, and it was terrifying to her, the fact was that she was angry, in pain, hurt and felt betrayed. And she needed more information on this, where he had the nerve to touch her in such a way; especially when he was a Veela and it shouldn't have been possible for him to touch her. So the library would carry the answers and the comfort she needed.

There was nothing comparable to the library for her, she could spend hours there and not even know it, and that's exactly what she planned on doing. She was going to dis-sect this Veela nonsense once and for all. Arriving on the third floor where the library was, Hermione opened the large door and was greeted with the smell of books and the sight of the glorious library. It was like a large labyrinth to her. Many study tables were nestled throughout the red carpeted room and it was walled with full bookshelves, which Hermione remembered had secret passages to get around, which was how Filch found people so quickly. There was a spiral staircase in the far corner that led to the upper floor of the library which went around the whole room with two catwalks going across reaching from one side to the other, and the large floor to ceiling windows with their stained-glass design was breath taking. This what the one place she would never tire of.

Quickly going to the creatures section she closed her eyes and willed a book to come to her with the answers she sought out. The library books were kinda like the room of requirement, you just thought of the information you desired and it found a book that would most likely have your answers. Opening her eyes Hermione saw a book floating in front of her, grabbing it she went into the far corner of the library and sat at the table that was right next to a window. Looking at the title to see what was chosen for hershe nodded thoughtfully. _Veela Romance: The truth._

Opening up the book she glanced at the Table of Contents and saw the perfect place she needed to go. Chapter 9 was Repercussions of Coupling.

_If you are reading this chapter then obviously you have found out which category of Veela Couples you belong to. The fact of the matter is that this was one thing you shouldn't have sought out yourself. Discovering the category which you fall under is a trap, a recent one that was uncovered. Once when you reveal the dangers of your bond falling apart, that will be when you notice things go wrong. This is more evident if you share it with your significant other. _

_ The reason being is that its a curse, a dark curse. A wizard from long ago was in love with a girl, but she turned out to be the Mate of a Veela and they mated like Veela's do and they had discovered, through consummating, that they were always in love. Driven in a jealous rage this wizard took the Veela who stole the girl from him and used his blood for Dark Magic. He declared that the relationship could fall apart and both would end up alone and miserable, while this has never been true until he declared it, statistics are showing it more probable now. The Dark Magic is in-bedded in the knowledge that you read and share, as soon as you share this information both parties are cursed and not thinking clearly, resulting in the bond to spoil over time. As a mate you must be very careful at these times, a Veela is very protective of their bond and if they feel it is threatened they will turn on whoever is threatening it. They do not realize their actions until they are done and as much as they would never hurt you in the reality, the Dark Magic makes them loose their grasp of that reality, so Mates need to be on their guard and understand as much as possible that the Veela does not understand._

Hermione stopped reading and took a shuddering breath, it made sense why Draco pushed her, and the information she knew now terrified her. It was a lot to take in but she had to keep reading.

_The Veela will deal with this in a way that seems to smother the mate. They will become withdrawn and distant so as not to disturb anything, yet they will keep a watchful eye to make sure no risk was being taken that could ruin their relationship because without it they have nothing. They feel vulnerable in this state. Mates deal with this by becoming angry, noticing everything that the Veela is doing wrong, having a shorter temper with their Veela and jumping to conclusions. Because of this curse both parties are confused and act largely out of character and arguing will be involved._

_The way to get through this is time and love. Pushing through and prevailing through this curse will kill it and you will be free to love without worry. Each couple is different however. An example is that you could be young and discover 'Bonds failing' and the curse wouldn't hit until years later, or it could hit right away. Hitting right away is often times better because you recollect reading the passage on bad bonds and feel inclined to do more research, thus finding this book. Now that you are aware, the curse wont hit so hard because you will know in your mind the truth and the truth is stronger than any spell that is made. Remember to work together and to be honest about what you are thinking that way you can dispute any conflicts._

Hermione closed the book and immediately ran off to find Draco, book clutched to her chest. There was a lightness in her that hadn't been in her all week and especially moments ago. There was a part of her that almost hated him for pushing her and now that she had discovered the truth she felt so relaxed and at peace. It was like there was a weight on her and a doubt but all that was gone now and she desired Draco again. Hermione didn't stop running even when she ran into a first year, knocking all of their stuff out of their hands not really bothering to apologize, just a hurried sorry. But she did stop abruptly when she collided with a body that knocked her down the steps, her body bouncing like a ball. She rolled over onto her side groaning, that was quite the fall. She looked up to apologize to whoever she had run into, but when she looked she saw Pansy Parkinson smirking at her.

"Watch it Mudblood."

"Pansy." Hermione acknowledged, forcing herself to stand up, her body already bruising from the fall. Hermione walked back up the steps on her way but Pansy stopped her.

"Aren't you going to apologize?"

"No Pansy," Hermione sighed. "I'm not."

Hermione pushed past Pansy, her foot on the first stair of the next stair case, but Pansy grabbed her hair, yanking her head back. "I saw your little fight with Draco today. Decided he's done with you, has he?"

Caught in her grasp Hermione reached for her wand in her pocket, only to find the pocket empty. Her wand was in her school bad, which she had left in the great hall when she hurriedly walked away. _Stay calm Hermione,_ She thought; taking a deep breath. "It is none of your business Parkinson." She growled.

Pansy pulled back harder and quicker, the force sending Hermione to the ground. "He is my business. Do you really think so highly of yourself as to not apologize for running into me and then freely dating a Pureblood? Thought you were smarter than that Granger."

"Can you just grow up, please. Just do us all a favor and grow up."

Pansy's face twisted into an angry grimace and she bent down next to Hermione. "You took away the only person who ever loved me. I didn't have my parents, I didn't have real friends, all I had was Draco. And you took that."

"News flash Pansy. You didn't have anyone. Draco never loved you, he never will."

Pansy was appalled to say the least, being spoken to in such a way by someone like her was unheard of. Pansy grabbed Hermione's hair, once again pulling it and bending Hermione's head in an unnatural position, her wand pulled out and pointing at Hermione's chest. "Looks like someone needs a lesson and I heard of this spell, not sure how it works but we could test it out."

Hermione began screaming in protest but it was quickly cut short.

Draco felt awful for touching Hermione, he didn't know what had gone over him, he didn't understand why he pushed her, he hadn't even realized it, if he were being completely honest with himself. He knew something was strange between them. He made it that way he was so overly worried about them. His whole world revolved around her, what would happen if he lost that? His actions surely didn't help anything. He just dedicated all of his time to watching her and making sure that he wouldn't say anything that could upset her, obviously it was a futile attempt seeing what had just happened. Instead of going after her though, Draco thought it was wise to let hr have her time by herself.

Instead of being with her he stayed in their common room pacing and occasionally going into her room to get a whiff of her sent. The past couple nights she had been sleeping in her own room, so the scent in the room was stronger, and much more comforting. As much as he felt he had ruined things for them he didn't feel like their bond was failing, Draco read somewhere that you can feel when the bond is falling apart because the ability to sense your Mate was dimmed. Draco didn't feel that, when she got closer it started humming inside of him; if that were the case then there was no way it was falling to shreds. Come to think of it, the bond never felt stronger.

Draco sat up on the couch focusing on the bond. He felt a sense of panic really was the best way to describe it, but it was a different kind of panic, not like his heart was pounding but...Hermione! It was coming from Hermione. Draco stood up from the couch and ran out of the common room. Something was wrong, he could feel the fear in waves, hitting him over and over then he felt pain, then the anxiety. He wasn't sure exactly how it had happened but he knew exactly where to go, the bond acting like a rope that bound them together and all he had to do was follow it. Whatever Hermione was feeling he hoped he wasn't the cause.

He rain down a flight of stairs and stopped. He saw Hermione and knew he wasn't the problem, someone else was. That someone was not to be seen in the picture he saw. No instead he saw Hermione laying at the bottom of the staircase he was standing on and in a pool of her own blood, little gasps of breath breaking through her mouth and her body twitching on the floor. Draco had seen this before, not not just seen, he had lived it. A spell: Sectumsempra. The sight made him want to vomit but he didn't have time to be weak. Going down the stairs quickly he squatted beside her, her crimson blood soaking into his pants and shirt, then he lifted her shirt to see the damage.

Her flesh had a deep gash in it and blood just kept pouring out of her, it was like someone had taken a jagged sword and gutted her. Her small torso looked even smaller with this long, wide gash. Her skin was pearl white against the angry red and around the base of her neck blood was gathering, he needed to act fast. This spell was fatal if you didn't counter act it quickly, but Draco didn't know that spell. He bent over, his venom gathered at his fangs, and hoped that it worked on curses like these. Taking her neck into his mouth he bit down and injected her with as much venom as was safe, he didn't know how he knew when to stop but he just knew; he went on instinct.

He heard her groan and whimper, then heard the movement of wet skin begin to seal itself together and he watched as one side of the gash pulled in to attach itself with the other side, stopping the bleeding. She grimaced and cried out at the movement but the worst was over. "You'll be okay now." He whispered, tears falling from his eyes as the realization of the situation finally hit him.

Draco picked Hermione up as she continued healing, as careful as possible. "Draco the book." Hermione whispered, her voice coming out roughly.

Draco had to stop himself from smiling at her concern over the book as he bent over and picked it up. "Who did this to you?"

Hermione closed her eyes as she replayed Pansy's face in her head. The scared look and the shock was so real that Hermione could practically feel the guilt coming from her. She looked so sorry, she even apologized as she cried for Hermione and ran away, and that action made her realize Pansy had no idea what the spell was capable of and she didn't actually want to hurt Hermione badly. Behind that rough exterior there was a girl who was just as scared and sad as Hermione was, and that thought made Hermione not able to give up the name of her attacker. She knew Draco would kill Pansy and Hermione wasn't going to let that happen.

She tilted her head up slowly and looked at Draco. "I don't know." She began. "I didn't see them or hear them for that matter."

"Tell me what happened."

"Well I was in the library after...after our incident and I came across this passage that explained everything. Oh Draco everything will be alright, you have to read this passage. It clears everything up and I swear I feel so foolish now for being so upset with you and if I had kno-"

"Hermione." Draco said, trying to sound stern but her rambling was just too cute. Even after almost dying she could be so cheerful and talkative, it was rather adorable. "You can tell me all about that later love, just finish this story first."

Hermione let out a sigh as Draco carried her back to the room. She explained how she was so excited that she was bumping into everyone and not noticing anything around her. She told him that after the staircase moved to the next one and she ran up she just felt pain and next thing she knew Draco was near her, that she hadn't even heard a voice say the spell or footsteps from the culprit. Draco bought her story, for which she was grateful for, he didn't think it was strange when she corrected some details because after all she had lost a lot of blood and it was affecting her in many ways.

"How did you find me?" Hermione asked as they walked through their common room door, Draco dropping the book on the couch and headed up to the bathroom.

"I sensed you. I sensed your emotions and I just went to go and find you and I did." Draco gently set her on her feet before turning on the shower to let the water heat up.

"There is a way for us to communicate through out minds Draco, I read it somewhere. Only a really strong bond can do that but I think what you are describing is something like that, don't you?"

"Could be." He whispered going over to the shelves in the wall and grabbing two towels, shampoo and soap; and walked back setting them by the shower doors. He turned around and started undressing Hermione, her blood soaked uniform sticking to her skin. These would have to be disposed of. Once she was bare he undressed himself as well, then threw their clothes tot he side, picking up Hermione and bringing her in the shower he. He held her close before setting her down.

"I could have lost you tonight. And the last memory you would have has was of me hurting you." He sighed, saddened.

"But you didn't and that wouldn't have been the last thing I thought of. I discovered the truth tonight," she said. "And all I wanted was to come back to you and tell you I love you."

"And now?"

"I love you." She said, reaching up on her tiptoes and giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"Its been a long time since I've heard those words." He sighed happily, picking up the soap and beginning to wash Hermione's skin.

After that was done, Hermione did the same to him; although this time she paid close attention to every detail of him. The curves of his muscles, the smoothness of his skin and the pale complexion of his. And that's when Hermione noticed it, something she had never noticed before when he was shirtless because she had been, well a little preoccupied. She saw a pale scar going from his shoulder down to his hip, and she traced it with hre finger, a sad expression on her face.

"I never noticed this before."

"Don't worry you won't scar," He said running his hand over her clear stomach thanks to the venom.

"I wouldn't have cared," she said looking up into his eyes. "You still would have loved me just as I love you."

Draco looked at her lovingly, bending down to give her a deep kiss before he turned her around and began washing her hair. He massaged her scalp, creating a thick layer of suds before he helped rinse it out. Then he put another dollop of shampoo in the palm of his hand and began his ministrations again.

"I'm sorry." Hermione whispered.

"What are you sorry for love?" He questioned, kissing her between her shoulder blades.

"I know Harry did that to you, and I know that causes a deeper resentment against him. But I also know that you are willing ti try and get along with him for my sake, even if we haven't had that conversation. I'm sorry you'll have to go through with that knowing that he hurt you so badly. I'm sorry because I know how that hurts now and you will have a scar that will remind you of it often and that will lead you to remembering your darker past."

Draco was silent for a moment. "How did you know he did this to me?"

"He came to the common room dripping wet and explained what had happened. He looked so terrified and said the potions book had the spell but he had no idea what it did, it only said it was for enemies. I yelled at him for using a spell he wasn't familiar with and then we disposed of the book."

"A potions book?"

"Yes, Professor Snape wrote it years ago." She said turning around. "He wrote it when he was just our age, ways to completely master a potion were handwritten inside and different spells he created and their uses. No matter how bad Professor Snape seems to me, there is no doubt that he is a genius."

Draco stepped under the shower and washed his hair and body. "There is no doubt about that, my God Father is quite the thinker and learner. He seems bad Hermione but there are things that we just don't understand about him. I've seen the good."

"I haven't."

"You didn't with me until you gave me a chance."

Hermione looked down ashamed. "I suppose you are right."

Draco gave her a smile, "I'm sorry, I'm right? Can you repeat that, or better yet can I get it in writing."

Hermione playfully punched his arm as he shut off the water and they got out. Hermione wrapped herself in her towel, the fabric reaching her uper thighs, and Draco wrapped his around his waist following Hermione out of the door and into the common room. He watched her curiously as she grabbed her wand from her bag and pointed it at the fireplace saying "Incendia", flames bursting to life. Then she sat down on the couch grabbing the book that Draco left there.

Looking up she saw Draco leaning in the door way of the stairs and looking at her funny. "What?"

"Aren't you gonna get dressed?"

Hermione looked at him strangely. "Should I?"

"No." He said chuckling and walking over to her, sitting on the couch and leaning against the arm, pulling her between his legs for her to lean on him and kissing her shoulder.

He turned her head to kiss him quickly before opening the book to the correct page. "Now as I was saying earlier, I was reading this passage and basically we are fine."

Draco thought on the last couple of weeks. "No we aren't." He replied sadly, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Shh. Just read it." Hermione huffed. "Please.

Hermione sat their anxiously wiggling her foot and watching his face go from confusion to surprise to relief. Then he closed the book and set it on the table, then wrapped his arms around her waist. He was looking at her with a slight smile on his face. "You mean to say we basically have been cursed to psych ourselves out about our relationship which then leads to the downfall."

"That is correct!" She said smiling, then she turned around, straddling him and giving him a kiss. "And I say we celebrate."

Draco smiled at her and eagerly kissed her, and she kissed him back with all the strength she could muster despite how weak she still felt. This was how it always should be, not the last couple of weeks. They were made for each other for heavens sake's! They weren't suppose to feel detached from one another. Hermione curled her fingers into his hair, pulling him closer to her and he gently rubbed her sides, but the sound of screeching and hooting from the window made them both jump apart, laughing from their reactions.

Hermione looked at the window and found a massive ash gray barn own. Recognition dawned on her and a smile broke out across her face. "Pig!" She exclaimed, jumping from Draco's lap and running to the window. Draco was soon behind her, unlatching the window for her since she couldn't reach it.

Pig took an unbalanced step in, falling off the ledge of the window. Draco smiled, scratching the birds head. "Clumsy little thing aren't you?" He said, going into the treat bowl and giving him two treats.

Hermione smiled at his tender affection, "It looks to me Pig as if you should cut back on the treats." She reached for the parchment attached to his leg, the cool air blowing from the window sending goose bumps all along her skin. Opening up the letter with shaky hands she saw it was from Ginny. It simply said: _Come to the Room of Requirement now, no time to explain. -Ginny_

Hermione dropped the letter on the ground and went to go get her wand, transfiguring her towel into tennis shoes, jeans and a zip up sweatshirt, then stuck her wand in her pant pocket.

"Hermione?" Draco asked, full of confusion.

"I have to go. Now." Curiosity was burning through her.

"I'll go with you." He said, grabbing his own wand and transfiguring his towel into his own set of clothes and following her out the door.

"A black suit? Really?" She said laughing as she ran through the halls.

Draco didn't comment but just followed after her as best as he could, she was rather fast for a little thing and for loosing as much blood as she did not even an hour ago. They went up flights of stairs and down flights of stairs, then into a secret passage when they heard Filch coming. Hermione had no idea what to expect, she assumed the wort naturally but she was trying to just focus on getting to the Room of Requirement before trying to figure everything out.

Stopping abruptly when they reached an empty wall, Draco watched as Hermione closed her eyes and a large golden door appeared. Draco had no idea why they were going to the Room of Requirement but he decided he was trusting her. Opening the door for her he followed her in, glued to her back side, his hands on her shoulders as they walked through the crowed of students that were standing gathered. And as Hermione broke through the last row of kids she crumpled down to the ground, Draco reaching for her elbows for support and trying not to flinch as a strangeled cry came from her throat.

"Harry? Ron?"


End file.
